The year 2021 ended well for the Madrid region in terms of business creation, despite the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, which forced the application of new health restrictions throughout Spain.
According to the latest figures released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE, in its Spanish acronym), 1,915 new companies were registered in the Spanish capital region in December, a figure that represents 24.5% more than in the same month of the previous year.
Throughout Spain, 8,394 new commercial companies were created in December 2021, which is 9.4% more year-on-year.
Companies created and dissolved in December 2021, depending on the activity. Graphic: INE.
In addition to Madrid, the autonomous regions with the highest number of commercial companies created in December are Catalonia (1,594) and Andalusia (1,529). On the contrary, the least dynamic when registering new businesses were La Rioja (28), Cantabria (61) and Extremadura (92).
In 2021 as a whole, 101,134 companies were created in Spain, which is 27.7% more than in 2020. The subscribed capital for its constitution increased by 2.6%, while the average capital was reduced by 19.6%.
The regions with the highest creation of commercial companies in 2021 were Madrid (23,691), Catalonia (19,186) and Andalusia (17,496). On the contrary, those that created the least were La Rioja (431), Cantabria (803) and Navarre (877).
Main economic activities
Nearly one in four companies created in Spain in 2021 was in the Madrid region, while almost one in five was in Catalonia.
For the year as a whole, 21.0% of the commercial companies created in 2021 were dedicated to trade and 16.2% to real estate, financial and insurance activities.
As for dissolved companies, their number grew in 2021 by 17.1%, up to 23,778. Of them, 20% was engaged in trade activities and 16.6% in construction, according to the Spanish statistical office data.
The regions with the highest number of closures were Madrid (7,373), Andalusia (3,586) and the Valencian Community. On the contrary, those that registered a lower number of closures were Navarre (55), La Rioja (189) and Cantabria (260).
