(KYIV, UKRAINE) – New company registrations in Ukraine reached 19,758 in the first six months of 2026. This is the highest half year figure in three years, according to data from the Unified State Register published by the monitoring service Opendatabot.
The number marks an 8 percent increase from the same period in 2025, when 18,277 new companies were formed. In the first half of 2024, the figure stood at 18,414.
Business closures also rose during the period. A total of 6,563 companies ceased operations, up 28 percent from a year earlier. Despite this, the net gain remained positive at 13,195 new businesses.
Wholesale trade recorded the largest absolute increase with 2,304 new companies. The information technology sector followed with 1,254 new registrations. Real estate added 1,104 companies, civic organisations grew by 859 and building services by 824.
Sectors that contracted included public administration and defence, which lost 289 companies, education with a drop of 282, veterinary services down by 20, water supply down by 14, and creative arts with a decline of 11.
Kyiv led all regions with a net gain of 5,338 new businesses. Lvivska Oblast added 1,220 and Dnipropetrovska Oblast gained 1,177. Twenty three regions posted net growth while four regions recorded a net decline. The steepest falls were in the frontline areas of Donetska Oblast with a loss of 157 companies and Luhanska Oblast with a drop of 73.
More than half of all business closures, or 3,479 cases, came through liquidation. Reorganisation accounted for 21 percent with 1,410 cases. Bankruptcy proceedings made up 10 percent with 651 cases. Court rulings not linked to bankruptcy caused 574 closures, or 9 percent. A further 440 cases, or 7 percent, had no stated reason. Termination of entities without legal person status accounted for nine cases, less than 1 percent of the total.
The number of registered individual entrepreneurs in Ukraine also grew. It rose by 35,040 in the second quarter of 2026, taking the total to more than 1.836 million.