Last year, more than 37,000 companies were created in Portugal, but 15,500 closed down.
In 2015, Portuguese companies did get better at paying their bills on time. Last year, 19.9% of companies paid within the agreed period, an improvement of 2.5% compared to 2014.
In an analysis of the dynamics of the Portuguese business world, D & B said that last year 37,698 companies were created, 5.2% more than in the previous year.
Closures rose 3.6%, with 15,541 companies shutting down, but for every one that closed its doors, 2.4 new ones emerged.
"The sectors that recorded the highest number of closures are were high on the list of those with the most companies opening up. This indicates a renewal in business activity in some sectors," said D&B’s managing director for Portugal, Teresa Cardoso de Menezes.
The service sector led new company openings with telecommunications up 19.8%, real estate activities up 17.5%, and agriculture, livestock, fishing and hunting up 16.0%.
The total number of new service sector companies was 11,705 last year, followed by retail with 4,192 new companies formed, and the hotels and restaurants with 4,297 new enterprises setting up.
The research shows also that the number of foreign companies in Portugal increased in 2015 with 180 established - 10.4% more than in 2014 and the second consecutive year of growth, bucking the trend of decline recorded since 2011.
