The year 2013 was the first year since 2009 in which insolvencies decreased in all of Portugal’s regions, with the exception of Lisbon.
Over 35,000 new companies were registered last year which represents an increase of almost 13% over the previous year. About half are small businesses with under €5,000 registered capital. For every company that closed in 2013, two new ones opened.
The boom in new companies is mainly in the service, retail, hotel and restaurant sectors. The north of the country was the region that saw the registration of the most hopeful new businesses.
The year 2013 is also noteworthy as the first year since 2009 that insolvencies fell. The 7.5% drop covers all regions, again with the exception of Lisbon. Across the country, insolvencies decreased by 20%.
The D&B data is based on business registrations on the government website up the end of December 2013.