The number of start-ups down for the first time in 10 years in Belgium

For the first time in 10 years, the number of starters is down. In Belgium, 3.49% fewer companies were created in 2022 compared to 2021.

The decline concerns the whole country. It is particularly marked in Flanders (-3.58%). Wallonia (-2.57%) and Brussels (-0.37%) follow.

Top sector is the service sector, and in particular the business consultancy activity, that there is the greatest number of new companies (6,182 creations). Outpatient rehabilitation activities come in second place (3,043), ahead of construction (3,030).

Good news on the side of the survival rate of start-ups. After 5 years of activity, 67.05% of the companies created are still there. In other words, out of 100,113 companies created in 2018, 67,129 were still active at the start of 2023. It is in Walloon Brabant that the survival rate is the best (68.41%).