Nearly 1 million active businesses were recorded in Greece at the end of 2025, with 96.3 businesses per 1,000 residents. A total of 80,252 new businesses were established that year, up from 72,070 in 2024, continuing the positive trend recorded since 2017.
However, high levels of business activity do not necessarily mean a stronger business base. According to the annual entrepreneurship report by the Research and Studies Institute (IEME) of the Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce (KEEE), the Greek market continues to be characterised by small businesses and a high degree of fragmentation.
Sole proprietorships account for 63.8% of active businesses, while 80.6% of companies with available financial data are micro-enterprises. At the same time, economic activity remains highly concentrated: just 796 large companies, or 0.7% of the sample, generate 53% of total turnover.
The figures come from the annual entrepreneurship report by the Research and Studies Institute (IEME) of the Union of Hellenic Chambers of Commerce (KEEE).
There are also significant differences in business survival rates. The five-year survival rate stands at 76.6% for limited liability companies and 65.7% for public limited companies, but falls to 37.6% for limited partnerships and 37.3% for private companies, which in Greece tend to be small businesses.
The composition of new businesses is also gradually changing. Trade remains the largest sector, accounting for 22.3% of active businesses, followed by accommodation and food services at 11.9%. However, between 2016 and 2025, transport and storage recorded the largest increase in its share of new businesses, up 6.5 percentage points, followed by construction, up 5.9 points.
Source: Annual Entrepreneurship Report: GEMI 2025
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