In the first quarter of 2025, a total of 14,909 companies were established in Portugal, marking a decrease of 1.9% (287 fewer incorporations) compared to the same period last year, according to information released by Informa D&B this Friday.
“The decline was widespread across most sectors, with a particularly significant drop in the Transport sector (-25%; 346 fewer incorporations), specifically in ‘passenger transport services, on-demand, in vehicles with a driver’ (-46%; 490 fewer incorporations),” the statement reads.
Furthermore, “among the sectors experiencing growth, Construction shows the greatest consistency, with the number of new companies increasing for several consecutive years.”
“The establishment of companies in Agriculture and other natural resources has been growing since the beginning of this year and showed the most significant percentage increase among all sectors in the first quarter. Other growing sectors in this indicator include Real Estate Activities (+23%; 322 new incorporations) and Industries (+8.5%; 49 new incorporations),” it states.
Additionally, “from a geographical perspective, the decline in company incorporations is highly concentrated in the Greater Lisbon area (-4.9%; 212 fewer incorporations), particularly in the Transport and Information and Communication Technologies sectors.”
What about insolvencies?
“Contrary to the trend of the past two years, insolvencies show signs of decline. In the first quarter of the year, 507 companies initiated insolvency processes, reflecting a decrease of 7.0% (38 fewer insolvencies) compared to the same period last year,” it is noted.
The data indicates that “the decrease is observed in half of the sectors, with the most pronounced drop in the Industrial sector (-35%; 59 fewer insolvencies), particularly in the Textile and Fashion Industry (-48%; 51 fewer insolvencies) and in the districts of Braga and Porto. Conversely, Business Services show a significant increase (+70%; 21 more insolvencies), especially in corporate support services (+83%; 20 more insolvencies).”
