Number of Self-Employed People in the Czech Republic Rises Sharply in First Half of 2026

The number of self-employed people in the Czech Republic rose significantly in the first half of 2026. More than 51,500 people started a business activity, with particularly strong growth recorded in Prague and the construction sector.

The number of self-employed people in the Czech Republic rose significantly in the first half of 2026. A total of 51,534 people started a business activity, while 27,300 ended their self-employment.

This resulted in a net increase of 24,234 self-employed people between January and the end of June. This was 49 per cent more than in the same period last year. The figures come from an analysis by the business information service CRIF – Czech Credit Bureau, based on data from the Informace o firmách portal.

The number of newly established self-employed activities was ten per cent higher than in the first half of 2025. At the same time, the number of discontinued activities fell by eleven per cent year on year.

“The growth in the number of entrepreneurs continued to accelerate in the first half of the year. Between January and June, almost as many entrepreneurs were added in the Czech Republic as during the first three quarters of last year,” said Věra Kameníčková, an analyst at CRIF – Czech Credit Bureau.

For every ten people who ended their business activity, 19 started one in the first half of the year. This was the highest figure in eight years.

Prague Records the Strongest Growth

The largest number of people started a business activity in Prague. A total of 12,232 new self-employed people were registered in the capital during the first half of the year. This was followed by the Central Bohemian Region with 6,642 and the South Moravian Region with 5,732 new registrations.

Prague also recorded the strongest year-on-year increase, at 15 per cent. In the Hradec Králové Region, the number of new self-employed people rose by 14 per cent. The increase amounted to twelve per cent in the Karlovy Vary Region and eleven per cent in the Liberec Region.

Particularly High Number of New Registrations in Construction

By sector, the largest number of new self-employed people started operating in construction. A total of 9,196 new registrations were recorded in the sector during the first half of the year. This was followed by manufacturing with 6,482 and professional, scientific and technical services with 5,582 new entrepreneurs.