Press releases

The number of new freelance businesses in Germany has risen from around 95,000 in 2024 to just over 111,000 in 2025. Berlin registered the highest number of new freelance businesses – followed by Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Leipzig, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf.

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The number of importing companies located in Germany rose in 2024 compared with 2023 (851,000 companies): Around 873,000 companies imported raw materials and goods. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) accounted for the vast majority of importers, at 98.3 per cent.

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Bonn, 04.08.2026. Nachdem sich die Kennzahlen für Umsatz und Gewinn bei den kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen (KMU) zu Beginn des Jahres 2026 verschlechtert hatten, zeigte sich im zweiten Quartal dieses Jahres sowohl in Deutschland als auch im Euroraum wieder eine deutliche Verbesserung bei Umsatz …

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The number of apprentices in the commercial sector and the liberal professions has been rising steadily for the past four years. At the end of December 2025, around 1.53 million (young) workers were in apprenticeship schemes.

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The highest number of new business registrations in 2025 was recorded in the Munich district. It was followed by the city of Leverkusen – last year's top-ranked region – the Teltow-Fläming district, and the independent cities of Baden-Baden and Offenbach am Main. These are the findings of the latest …

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Despite the ongoing geopolitical challenges of recent years, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) generated approximately € 2.8 trillion in 2024, according to the recent available data.

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From the perspective of trade associations, academia and economic policymakers, the biggest challenge for the Mittelstand enterprises remains ensuring innovation and competitiveness. This is the key finding of a survey conducted by experts at the IfM Bonn between late February and late March 2026.

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After both turnover and profits among small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany had shown a slight improvement towards the end of 2025, the economic situation in both Germany and the euro area deteriorated again in the first quarter of 2026.

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"The Mittelstand is currently facing a wide range of challenges – from skill shortages and bureaucratic burdens to geopolitical change. But we also know that the Mittelstand businesses are highly adaptable and repeatedly develop innovative solutions. Necessary are appropriate framework conditions …

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Although the Chinese government has repeatedly used access to raw materials and intermediate goods as a political lever in recent years, many companies continue to rely on supplies from China. As a result, the value of goods imported from China, after a temporary decline, rose significantly again in …

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The number of new businesses is on the rise again in the commercial sector, the liberal professions and in agriculture and forestry (the non-commercial sector): in 2025, a total of around 395,000 full-time self-employed businesses were established.

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At the end of 2025, turnover and profits of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have increased. By contrast, investment activity, which had increased over the course of 2025, showed a slight decline towards the year-end.

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Digital transformation is advancing in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany: More than a third of SMEs had a "high" to "very high" level of digital intensity in 2025.

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The Expert Commission for Research and Innovation (EFI), including IfM President Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter, today presented its new annual report to Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

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There is broad consensus among family businesses in Germany that an ecological transition is necessary. But from the perspective of the Mittelstand, the key question at present is how companies can achieve a climate-friendly transformation while at the same time remaining competitive.

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