Number of companies in Switzerland
Every active entry in the Swiss commercial register on 3 Nov 2026, by legal form and canton, and the entries the register gained and lost each year since 2019.
On 3 November 2026, the Swiss commercial register held 783,492 active entries: 264,993 GmbH, 235,402 AG and 177,989 sole proprietorships, with partnerships, associations, foundations, cooperatives and branches making up the rest. Another 50,200 entries were in liquidation.
Zürich has the most, 134,507 (17.2%), ahead of Geneva with 72,578. In 2025, the register gained 54,088 entries and lost 34,032, a net change of +20,056.
The Federal Statistical Office (BFS) counts 626,033 market enterprises for 2023, 99.7% of them SMEs with fewer than 250 employees.
Active companies in Switzerland by legal form
Link to this table| Legal form | Active | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Limited liability company (Sàrl/GmbH) | 264,993 | 33.8% |
| Corporation (SA/AG) | 235,402 | 30.0% |
| Sole proprietorship | 177,989 | 22.7% |
| Legal form not recorded yet | 37,568 | 4.8% |
| Foundation | 17,308 | 2.2% |
| Swiss branch | 15,079 | 1.9% |
| Association | 12,473 | 1.6% |
| General partnership | 10,743 | 1.4% |
| Cooperative | 7,436 | 0.9% |
| Foreign branch | 2,988 | 0.4% |
| Limited partnership | 946 | 0.1% |
| Public-law institute | 464 | 0.1% |
| Special legal form | 50 | 0.0% |
| Undivided-estate representative | 31 | 0.0% |
| Non-commercial power of attorney | 14 | 0.0% |
| Partnership limited by shares | 8 | 0.0% |
Entries active on 3 Nov 2026 in the Zefix register data Prospex keeps up to date. The 50,200 entries in liquidation are not counted.
Number of companies by canton
Link to this table| Canton | Active | Share of Swiss total | New entries 2025 | Deletions 2025 | Net change 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zürich | 134,507 | 17.2% | 9,909 | 6,013 | +3,896 |
| Geneva | 72,578 | 9.3% | 4,470 | 2,761 | +1,709 |
| Vaud | 69,605 | 8.9% | 5,161 | 3,145 | +2,016 |
| Bern | 69,553 | 8.9% | 4,321 | 2,846 | +1,475 |
| Aargau | 45,841 | 5.9% | 3,432 | 2,223 | +1,209 |
| St. Gallen | 43,012 | 5.5% | 2,724 | 1,815 | +909 |
| Ticino | 40,804 | 5.2% | 2,180 | 1,539 | +641 |
| Zug | 40,389 | 5.2% | 3,588 | 1,933 | +1,655 |
| Valais | 34,769 | 4.4% | 2,582 | 1,376 | +1,206 |
| Lucerne | 34,493 | 4.4% | 2,361 | 1,445 | +916 |
| Fribourg | 25,461 | 3.2% | 1,985 | 1,539 | +446 |
| Thurgau | 23,378 | 3.0% | 1,497 | 817 | +680 |
| Schwyz | 22,006 | 2.8% | 1,544 | 880 | +664 |
| Basel-Landschaft | 20,238 | 2.6% | 1,411 | 884 | +527 |
| Graubünden | 19,840 | 2.5% | 1,115 | 631 | +484 |
| Basel-Stadt | 18,910 | 2.4% | 1,377 | 1,055 | +322 |
| Solothurn | 18,180 | 2.3% | 1,328 | 938 | +390 |
| Neuchâtel | 13,486 | 1.7% | 922 | 583 | +339 |
| Jura | 6,762 | 0.9% | 375 | 258 | +117 |
| Schaffhausen | 6,468 | 0.8% | 447 | 300 | +147 |
| Nidwalden | 5,503 | 0.7% | 334 | 228 | +106 |
| Appenzell Ausserrhoden | 5,415 | 0.7% | 305 | 319 | −14 |
| Obwalden | 4,207 | 0.5% | 226 | 163 | +63 |
| Glarus | 3,580 | 0.5% | 204 | 153 | +51 |
| Uri | 2,372 | 0.3% | 128 | 106 | +22 |
| Appenzell Innerrhoden | 2,134 | 0.3% | 162 | 82 | +80 |
Active entries by the canton of their registered office; new entries and deletions by the canton of the register office that published the notice. Each canton links to its register page.
New entries and deletions per year since 2019
Link to this table| Year | New entries | Deletions | Net change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 43,165 | 31,289 | +11,876 |
| 2020 | 45,302 | 28,688 | +16,614 |
| 2021 | 48,978 | 28,257 | +20,721 |
| 2022 | 48,536 | 28,163 | +20,373 |
| 2023 | 50,272 | 30,835 | +19,437 |
| 2024 | 51,575 | 32,651 | +18,924 |
| 2025 | 54,088 | 34,032 | +20,056 |
| January to October 2025 | 44,420 | 28,490 | +15,930 |
| January to October 2026 | 45,071 | 29,636 | +15,435 |
Net change is new entries minus deletions, as the SHAB published them. The last two rows compare the same months of two years.
Register entries and the BFS enterprise count
Link to this tableThe commercial register counts every registered entity from its entry to its deletion, including holding companies, sole proprietorships and firms with no staff. The Federal Statistical Office (BFS) counts enterprises from business-register and social-insurance records, and keeps an enterprise in its figures while it has economic activity. Its count for 2023 is 626,033.
| Measure | Prospex (register) | BFS | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Companies | 783,492 (3 Nov 2026) | 626,033 (2023) | BFS STATENT |
Cite and download
You may reuse these figures with a link to this page.
Prospex, "Number of companies in Switzerland", register data of 3 Nov 2026, https://prospex.ch/reports/number-of-companies-switzerland/
Download every figure (CSV). One row per figure, with its period, canton and source.
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How the companies are counted
Active entries come from the Zefix register data Prospex keeps up to date, on 3 Nov 2026. An entry counts while its status is active; entries in liquidation and deleted ones are left out. Every legal form counts, sole proprietorships, associations and foundations included.
New entries and deletions come from the notices of the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce (SHAB), through 31 Oct 2026, by the canton of the register office that published them.
The figures are rebuilt every month with the Swiss company statistics page.
Frequently asked questions
- How many companies are there in Switzerland?
- On 3 Nov 2026, 783,492 entries are active in the Swiss commercial register, counting companies, sole proprietorships, associations and foundations, and 50,200 more are in liquidation. The Federal Statistical Office (BFS) counts 626,033 market enterprises for 2023.
- How many GmbH are there in Switzerland?
- 264,993 GmbH are active in the commercial register on 3 Nov 2026, 33.8% of all active entries. 235,402 AG (30.0%) and 177,989 sole proprietorships (22.7%) are active on the same date.
- Which canton has the most companies?
- Zürich, with 134,507 active entries (17.2% of the Swiss total), ahead of Geneva with 72,578.
- How fast does the number of Swiss companies grow?
- In 2025, the SHAB published 54,088 new entries and 34,032 deletions, a net change of +20,056 entries.
- Can I reuse these figures?
- Yes, with a link to this page and the date the figures run to. The CSV lists every figure with its period and source.