Business creation in France

L’entrepreneuriat a le vent en poupe

Business creation is on trend

In 2023, 1,071,900(1) new companies have been created in France, it's slightly less than in 2022.

Business creations keep on increasing, mainly in admin activities, support services, and in transport.

The French population is willing to create their own business

According to the annual franchise survey conducted by Banque Populaire, 32% of French people would like to start their own business, and 43% of them are considering doing so through franchising(2).

Indeed, the franchise system makes it easier to start a business, as it allows individuals to be their own boss while benefiting from the support and guidance of the franchisor, as well as taking advantage of their experience and the brand's reputation. Using a well-known brand allows entrepreneurs to launch quickly with greater security.

(2) Source: 20th Franchise Survey by Banque Populaire conducted in partnership with the French Franchise Federation and Kantar - 2024
Les français ont l'esprit entrepreneurial
Les jeunes et l'entrepreneuriat

Young people are the most motivated to create their business

A Go Entrepreneur study showed that 49% of young people under 30 are considering starting or taking over a business(3).

82% of young business owners surveyed started their activity during or just after their studies. It is also noted that the majority of businesses created by young people (81%) are profitable, and 91% of them achieved profitability in less than 2 years(3).

Young people are motivated to start a business for various reasons: 45% say they want to be their own boss, 38% want to pursue their passion, and 37% aim to increase their income(3).

(3) Source: OnePoll, Forbes article
L'entrepreneuriat au féminin

Women are increasingly present in the French business creation landscape

The French Entrepreneurial Index 2024 reveals that 28% of French women wish to start their own business(4).

The gap between the entrepreneurial index of men and women has significantly narrowed since 2018: 8 points instead of 14(4).

It is also noted that young women are more likely to venture into entrepreneurship: 1 in 3 women compared to 1 in 4 men are under 30 years old.

(4) Source: BPI

Franchising, a model favored by entrepreneurs

The dynamism of the franchise market

In 2024, franchising in France will represent 2,089 networks, 90,588 franchised points of sale, for more than 88 billion euros in turnover (5) .

These franchised stores will account for 962,724 direct and indirect jobs in 2024: a significant economic weight in France.

(5) source: Key Franchise Indicators 2025
marché de la franchise en France
profil du franchisé

The typical profile of a franchisee

  • 76% of franchisees are former employees.
  • 48% of franchisees have changed sectors compared to their previous activity.
  • 39% of franchisees are women, a trend that has been increasing in recent years.

(6) Source: 20th Franchise Survey by Banque Populaire conducted in partnership with the French Franchise Federation and Kantar - 2024

Franchising worldwide

Numbers collected by the European Franchise Federation (EFF) show that more than 14,900 franchise brands operate in Europe(7).

In the US, there are 3,472 networks, 4,000 in China, 1,200 in Canada, 3,039 in Brazil and 1,120 in Australia. 
Europe gathers as many brands as there are in the international markets quoted above. 
These stats show the dynamism of the european market and its capacity to innovate by creating new concepts.

France is the 1st in franchise with its 1,972 franchise networks.

France has also developped its franchise brands abroad, whereas we only count 13,67% foreign franchisors in France.
21,24% of French brands are developped worlwide. Franchise seems to be the favored mean to expand one's brand, and the easiest.

La franchise à l'international

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