Over 250,000 individual entrepreneurs (IEs) closed down in Ukraine in the first 11 months of 2025. On average, IEs operate for 2.4 years, UNN reports with reference to Opendatabot.
Details
At the same time, entrepreneurs engaged in warehousing activities are long-livers, while IE couriers turned out to be the least resilient.
Every eighth entrepreneur who closed down in 2025 worked in Kyiv: 32,469 IEs. Dnipropetrovsk region ranked second in terms of closures — 22,645 entrepreneurs ceased their activities last year. Small businesses in Kharkiv region (20,481), Odesa region (18,714), and Lviv region (16,521) closed down with a small margin.
The most vulnerable IEs last year were those working in retail — they accounted for a third of closures (77,705). On average, such businesses exist for less than 3 years. Another 16,909 IEs in wholesale trade ceased their operations in 2025 — such entrepreneurs barely last more than a year in their work. In total, the trade sector alone accounts for almost half of the closures.
IT specialists came in a distant second in terms of the number of closures — 28,668, or every ninth entrepreneur who closed down last year. IT specialists also turned out to be among the long-lived entrepreneurs — 3 years and 11 months.
Long-lived IEs in Ukraine are those engaged in warehousing — such entrepreneurs worked for more than 6 years.
Entrepreneurs in the real estate sector work for 5 years and 11 months. Next come businesses in the field of equipment repair, in particular household appliances — they work for 5 years and 9 months.
At the same time, IE couriers are the least resilient — on average, entrepreneurs in this field who closed down last year worked for only 6 months.
Recall
In 2026, tax rates for individual entrepreneurs will not increase, but they will still have to pay more, as the minimum wage and living wage, from which taxes and fees are calculated, will increase.