Business dynamism in Spain in the wake of recent crises
Business dynamism
Fecha: mayo 2024
Ramon Xifré
SEFO, Spanish and International Economic & Financial Outlook, V. 13 N.º3 (May 2024)
Spain was home to 3,207,580 economically active enterprises as of 1 January 2023, growth of 0.5% from 2022. Over two-thirds of the total have been in business for less than 11 years. 57% of these businesses are natural persons and have no employees, while 92% have five or fewer employees. A combined analysis of the business population’s age and headcount shows that larger companies tend to have been in business longer. For the three main legal structures –natural persons, public limited companies (PLC) and limited liability companies (LLC)– the sectors with the biggest business populations are wholesale and retail trade, building construction, specialised construction services and real estate services. The 10 sectors of the economy with the largest business populations account for between 60% and 70% of all firms across these three forms of incorporation. In terms of turnover, most sectors, other than the retail sector, reported growth in 2023 and also in the first two months of 2024. As well, the studies on entrepreneurship in Spain point to a very significant gender gap across the business population (80% male and 20% female). Broadly speaking, analysis points to a clear divide between the sectors that are home to a higher number of established firms and the sectors with a higher incidence of startups, with the sole exception of the food industry. Essentially, it could be interesting to take a closer look at the scope for creating value by fostering collaboration between these two spheres: Spain’s legacy businesses and the startup ecosystem.