In August, the business opening rate contracted 0.3 percentage points to 4.7%. This decrease has offset the 0.3% increase recorded in the previous month. The decline in the business opening rate in August was entirely driven by the 0.3 percentage point decrease in the entry rate, as the re-opening rate held steady at 3.3%.
The business closure rate dropped by 0.2 percentage points to settle at 4.8% in August, following a 0.3 percentage point increase in July. While the opening rate was equal to its 2015-to-2019 historical average in August, the closure rate was 0.2 percentage points above its historical average.
The number of active businesses was steady in July and August 2025, as the number of business openings nearly offset that of business closures. Since early 2024, the number of active businesses has remained relatively stable, with a monthly growth rate generally ranging from -0.1% to 0.1%. In August 2025, payroll employment was little changed, real gross domestic product contracted by 0.3% and business insolvency filings dropped by 12.1%, from 371 in July to 326.
In August, the number of active businesses was stable in most sectors, but some posted declines. The largest decreases were observed in professional, scientific and technical services (-209 active businesses; -0.2% growth rate), retail trade (-185 active businesses; -0.2% growth rate) and accommodation and food services (-170 active businesses; -0.3% growth rate).
Chart 1: Monthly business openings and closures as a percentage of active businesses, business sector, January 2024 to August 2025, seasonally adjusted data
Description - Chart 1
Source: Table 33-10-0270-01.
Chart 2: Change in the number of active businesses, business sector, January 2023 to August 2025, seasonally adjusted data
Description - Chart 2
Source: Table 33-10-0270-01.
Note to readers
With each release, data for the preceding month are revised as additional information becomes available. This may also involve minor revisions to historical data due to seasonal adjustment. Users are encouraged to use the most up-to-date data available for each month.
Seasonal adjustment is applied separately to each sector to account for unique patterns, which can lead to discrepancies between business sector figures and the sum of sector-specific ones.
For more information on the data presented in this release, see the Monthly Business Openings and Closures (5401) survey page.
Contact information
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