Share of male sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors) in Germany
Germany: Share of male sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors) was 61.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of male sole proprietors in Germany, 2014–2024
Source: World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026. Measured in % of sole proprietors.
Analysis
Germany recorded 61.7% for share of male sole proprietors in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 4.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of male sole proprietors in Germany peaked at 65.0% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 61.7%, in 2024.
That places Germany 44th out of 78 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Share of male sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors) in Germany, year by year
| Year | % of sole proprietors | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 64.9% | — |
| 2015 | 64.8% | -0.2% |
| 2016 | 64.6% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 64.6% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 65.0% | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 64.7% | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 64.0% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 63.3% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 62.2% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 62.1% | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 61.7% | -0.6% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 61.7% is below the median for high income countries, which is 61.8%, 100% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Germany's 61.7% is below the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 62.1%, 99% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 64.8% | 64.6% | 65.0% | 6 |
| 2020s | 62.7% | 61.7% | 64.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Germany
More private sector data for Germany
- Merchandise trade 65.5% (2025)
- Food imports 9.6% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 74.4% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 1.54 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 600.33 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 6.6% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 83.3% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 1.76 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 512.38 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 21,130 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of male sole proprietors in Germany?
- Share of male sole proprietors in Germany was 61.7% in 2024, according to World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026.
- What is the highest share of male sole proprietors recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 65.0% in 2018.
- What is the lowest share of male sole proprietors recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.7% in 2024.
- How does Germany rank for share of male sole proprietors?
- Germany ranks 44th out of 78 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of male sole proprietors rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026, published as part of Share of male sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Share of male sole proprietors is the proportion of male newly registered sole proprietors out of the total number of newly registered sole proprietors in the economy in the calendar year. A sole proprietorship is a business entity owned and managed by a single individual who is indistinguishable from the business and personally liable.