Insee Première · September 2021 · n° 1873

The turnover of self-employed people registered in 2014 was growing steadily before the pandemic

Five years after their registration during the first half of 2014, a third of self-employed people who started their own business were still active. For the same generation, the proportion of conventional individual entrepreneurs still active after five years was much higher (53%).

The proportion of self-employed people still active five years after their registration is largely dependent on their line of business. The highest proportions are seen in the human health and social services sector (45%) and the education sector (31%), while smaller numbers are seen in trade (17%).

The durability of the company increases in line with the age of the self-employed person and with the financial resources available upon start-up of the business.

In 2019, the average turnover of self-employed people registered in 2014 was 15,800 euros. The pandemic saw this figure fall by 30% in Q2 2020 when compared with the same quarter of the previous year, as was the case for economic activity as a whole. Transport, arts and entertainment and hospitality were particularly hard hit, as were older entrepreneurs. Business bounced back in Q3, doing so more strongly outside of the Île-de-France.