Skip to main content

Press releases

Press release What the German Mittelstand Needs Now

The IfM is the academic research centre for the Mittelstand. It arose from a letter exchange between Ludwig Erhard and Konrad Adenauer. These roots show that SMEs are more than just an economic factor.

more

Press release SMEs benefit from their flexibility in times of geopolitical uncertainty

The geopolitical situation and increasingly fragile trade relations are currently posing particular challenges for export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises. At the same time, the expanding defence sector also offers opportunities for companies that are prepared to change their business …

more

Press release The Economic Significance of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises remains high despite crises

Despite numerous geopolitical challenges, Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) generated €2.8 trillion in 2023, according to the most recent data available. This was 28% of Germany’s total turnover.

more

Press release Freelancers most often start their businesses in Berlin

In 2024, most people started their own freelance businesses in Berlin, followed by Hamburg, Munich and Cologne.

more

Press release NUI Regional Ranking: The city of Leverkusen remains at the top

The number of new entrepreneurial initiatives is back above pre-pandemic levels in all of Germany

more

Press release More apprentices in larger establishments, fewer in very small establishments

Die Anzahl der Auszubildenden in der gewerblichen Wirtschaft und in den Freien Berufen ist in 2024 um rund 19.000 gegenüber dem Vorjahr gestiegen. Insgesamt lag sie Ende Dezember 2024 bei 1,52 Millionen.

more

Press release A quarter of self-employed craftswomen return to full operational duties just six weeks after childbirth

For many self-employed craftswomen in North Rhine-Westphalia, pregnancy brings not only joyful anticipation but also significant physical and financial strain. This is the finding of a recent survey conducted by the Institut für Mittelstandsforschung (IfM) Bonn on behalf of the Ministry of Economic …

more

Press release More courage for simpler building regulations

In recent years, Germany has tended to lose attractiveness as a location for investment projects. One reason is that commercial building permit procedures can sometimes take very long, making it difficult to accurately estimate total project costs.

more

Press release Economic slowdown affects number of business start-ups

A total of approximately 360,000 new businesses were founded in Germany in 2024. Around 258,000 of them were started in the commercial sector, 7,040 in agriculture and forestry, and 94,900 in the liberal professions.

more

Press release The federal government must now pave the way for the future

"According to a recent short survey, the vast majority of managing directors in Germany’s Mittelstand sector are calling on the new federal government to ensure reliable and consistent policy frameworks – and to refrain from excessive regulatory steering. This applies in particular to the ecological …

more

Press release Less than half of all start-ups survive the first 5 years

Approximately 360,000 new enterprise were founded in Germany in 2024. It’s not just the number of start-ups that matters for an economy, but also their long-term survival.

more

Press release The risk of insolvency was the highest in the transport and logistics sector in 2024

The risk of insolvency increased across most economic sectors in 2024, but the highest rate was in the transport and logistics sector: 14 out of 1,000 VAT-liable companies filed for insolvency.

more

Press release Bureaucracy costs are a considerable burden for smaller companies in the industrial SME sector

A follow-up study from the machinery and equipment manufacturing sector shows that the overall burden of regulation (including EU bureaucracy) is higher for small companies than the gross return on sales.

more

Press release Artificial intelligence is increasingly gaining acceptance in small and medium-sized enterprise

The number of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) using artificial intelligence (AI) procedures increased by 8 percentage points to 19% between 2023 and 2024.

more

Press release More business start-ups than closures in the service sectors, fewer in trade and construction sector

Die Anzahl der Existenzgründungen überstieg in 2024 in den meisten Wirtschaftsabschnitten die Anzahl der Schließungen. Ein solch‘ positiver Saldo, der eine Zunahme im Unternehmensbestand anzeigt, war im vergangenen Jahr vor allem im Bereich der wissenschaftlichen, technischen und freiberuflichen …

more

Copyright © 2025 IfM Bonn