Even during the recession years of 2023 and 2024, more businesses were founded in Germany than closed. Accountable has analyzed startup activity across the 50 largest German cities using data from the Federal Statistical Office.
Leverkusen tops the ranking with 28.23 new businesses per 1,000 residents — nearly double the national average of 15.05. It is followed by fellow North Rhine-Westphalian cities Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Bonn. At the bottom sits Halle (Saale) with just 10.16 new registrations per 1,000 residents — notably, six of the ten weakest cities for new business formation are located in East Germany.
Cologne also records the largest positive balance between new registrations and closures, with 65.32% more businesses opened than closed. The national average stands at 24.31%.
The full article with all the data is available here.
Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Berlin and Brussels, Accountable is on a mission to make taxes effortless for the self-employed — giving every freelancer and independent professional the tools to manage their taxes and finances with confidence, regardless of their tax knowledge. As the first provider to market with an AI Tax Advisor, Accountable automatically handles receipt categorization, tax filing, and business finances. Since launch, more than 175,000 tax returns have been processed through the app. Today, Accountable serves over 40,000 users in Germany and more than 80,000 across Europe.
