The creation of companies in Portugal dropped 3.2% by September, in the same period from 2025 to 40,266, with Construction and ICT being the only growing sectors.
© Shutterstock
09/10/2026
by
Lusa
Business creation in Portugal
A creation of companies in Portugal dropped 3.2% by September, in the same period from 2025 to 40,266, with the Construction and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to be the only growing sectors.
According to the barometer of Informa D&B today, 1,337 companies were created in the first nine months of the year than in the same period of 2025, pointing to a decline in the set of 2026, after last year having recorded a historical maximum in this indicator.
Construction led growth, with 6,065 companies incorporated, more 13% than in the same period, while ICTs registered 3,010 new companies, an increase of 5.6%.
In Construction, the creation of companies has increased, on average, 12% per year since 2020, especially the districts of Lisbon and Porto, where 1,546 and 1,011 companies from the sector were formed, respectively, according to the analysis.
In ICT, consulting and computer programming activities stand out, which totalled 1,935 constitutions between January and September, plus 14% more than in the homologous period, corresponding to an increase of 235 companies.
Since 2020, these activities have grown to an annual average of 18%.
In the other sectors, the creation of companies decreased, with the largest declines in Agriculture and Livestock, by 29%, equivalent to less than 360 constitutions, and in Accommodation and Restoration, Retail and Transport, all with breaks of 11%.
At the Accommodation and Restoration, 445 companies were formed, in the Retail less 353 and in the Transport less 324, compared to the first nine months of 2025.
In regional terms, the decline was transversal to almost the whole country, with the exception of the West and Tagus Valley, where the creation of companies increased 1.7%, plus 44 constitutions.
Also in the municipality of Santarém, growth reached 31%, with more 54 companies.
By the end of September, they closed 9,015 companies in Portugal, especially in the Business Services, Retail, General Services and Accommodation and Restoration sectors, and in the districts of Lisbon and Porto.
In the accumulated 12 months ending in September, 14,519 closures were recorded, less 7.9% than in the previous 12 months, the equivalent of a reduction of 1,244 cases.
The decrease in closures in this period was cross-sectional to all sectors of activity, although some areas have recorded increases, namely the Manufacture of Footwear, with 39% more, the Specialized Construction Activities, with an increase of 5.4%, and the Accommodation of Short Duration, with an increase of 12%.