The number of self-employed people in the Czech Republic is rising rapidly. From January to July 2025 alone, almost twice as many new businesses were registered as in the entire previous year, with Prague and the service sector driving much of the growth.
Between January and July 2025, 16,965 people in the Czech Republic launched their own businesses – nearly double the total for 2024. In July alone, 6,408 new entrepreneurs started up, while 3,569 ceased operations, resulting in a net increase of 2,839 self-employed. This is according to a recent report from the business information agency CRIF – Czech Credit Bureau.
Looking at the past twelve months, between August 2024 and the end of July 2025, 81,887 people took up self-employment – a two per cent increase. In the same period, 53,296 businesses closed, down 35 per cent. For every ten closures, there were 15 new start-ups.
Around one fifth of all new self-employed were in the capital, Prague (9,274), followed by the Central Bohemian Region (6,558), South Moravia (5,441) and Moravia-Silesia (4,904). Together, these four regions accounted for more than half of all new start-ups.
Shifts Across Sectors: Trade Declines, Services Expand
The number of self-employed in trade has fallen sharply, dropping by 3,611 between January and July. Smaller declines were also seen in gastronomy and hospitality (-386) and in energy supply (-53). In nearly all other sectors, however, the number of entrepreneurs increased. Growth was particularly strong in personal services such as hairdressing, cosmetics and repair work (+2,331). Cultural and leisure activities, as well as the information and communications sector, also recorded gains.
Young businesses are the most likely to leave the market: in the first seven months of this year, 7,796 self-employed people closed down enterprises that had been operating for no more than five years – nearly a quarter of all closures.
The number of young entrepreneurs aged 18 to 30 continues to rise, although the pace has slowed: for every ten closures in this age group, there were 58 new start-ups, down from 77 the previous year. While the younger generation makes up just over a tenth of all self-employed, middle-aged and older entrepreneurs continue to dominate. The largest group of business owners in the Czech Republic is aged 41 to 50, accounting for around 27 per cent of all self-employed.
