Antwerp in figures
298.922 active enterprises in Antwerp: 154,7 per 1,000 inhabitants, 23.566 starts and 1.536 closures in 12 months.
Active enterprises
298.922
202.114 legal persons · 96.808 sole traders
Starts in 30 days
1.630
23.566 in 12 months
Closures in 30 days
1.510
On Peppol
73,2%
215.862 of 294.857 checked
Starts and closures per month
So far 1 month(s) measured: Nov 2026 (running): 450 starts, 1.510 closures. The chart appears from three months.
Firmatlas has tracked closures since 2 October 2026. We count starts only from then too, because the KBO open data holds no companies that closed before.
VAT-registered starts and stops per year
- Starts20.3412025
- Closures17.7232025
As a table
| Year | Starts | Closures |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 18.265 | 11.609 |
| 2020 | 18.825 | 11.255 |
| 2021 | 20.498 | 12.132 |
| 2022 | 22.868 | 13.567 |
| 2023 | 20.716 | 14.991 |
| 2024 | 19.724 | 16.821 |
| 2025 | 20.341 | 17.723 |
Statbel counts VAT-registered businesses on 31 December, sole traders included, so they differ from the KBO count on this page.
Municipalities
| Municipality | Active | Per 1,000 inh. | Starts per 1,000 inh. | On Peppol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antwerpen | 63.746 | 112,7 | 6,2 | 67,6% |
| Mechelen | 8.311 | 92,0 | 5,7 | 76,6% |
| Brasschaat | 5.382 | 139,7 | 6,8 | 74,4% |
| Geel | 4.229 | 99,2 | 4,9 | 75,9% |
| Turnhout | 4.209 | 86,8 | 3,8 | 69,6% |
| Schilde | 4.175 | 203,9 | 9,6 | 79,8% |
| Heist-op-den-Berg | 4.164 | 92,6 | 4,6 | 80,7% |
| Schoten | 4.070 | 116,8 | 5,4 | 77,0% |
| Lier | 3.700 | 95,5 | 4,8 | 74,8% |
| Kontich | 3.484 | 159,1 | 7,1 | 82,3% |
| Kapellen | 3.401 | 120,6 | 6,1 | 79,0% |
| Herentals | 3.243 | 111,2 | 5,9 | 77,4% |
| Mol | 3.169 | 81,7 | 4,4 | 75,0% |
| Brecht | 3.159 | 102,7 | 5,4 | 81,9% |
| Zoersel | 2.685 | 115,6 | 5,6 | 83,0% |
| Edegem | 2.637 | 111,3 | 6,1 | 74,3% |
| Hoogstraten | 2.598 | 115,3 | 6,4 | 81,1% |
| Mortsel | 2.574 | 95,5 | 5,6 | 69,4% |
| Puurs-Sint-Amands | 2.491 | 90,9 | 5,3 | 79,8% |
| Kalmthout | 2.262 | 114,1 | 5,9 | 80,8% |
| Westerlo | 2.205 | 85,7 | 4,7 | 78,6% |
| Bornem | 2.184 | 97,8 | 5,1 | 79,6% |
| Ranst | 2.143 | 107,9 | 4,8 | 80,2% |
| Sint-Katelijne-Waver | 2.057 | 93,8 | 6,3 | 85,0% |
| Aartselaar | 2.050 | 135,9 | 6,6 | 76,8% |
| Nijlen | 2.028 | 84,9 | 5,5 | 84,1% |
| Willebroek | 2.025 | 70,0 | 4,1 | 78,9% |
| Kasterlee | 2.021 | 101,9 | 6,0 | 80,0% |
| Wommelgem | 2.014 | 147,6 | 6,6 | 74,0% |
| Wuustwezel | 1.988 | 90,8 | 5,2 | 82,4% |
| Balen | 1.824 | 76,3 | 4,1 | 80,2% |
| Malle | 1.808 | 111,2 | 4,7 | 78,1% |
| Putte | 1.804 | 93,9 | 5,6 | 82,0% |
| Bonheiden | 1.779 | 113,3 | 6,2 | 83,5% |
| Beerse | 1.699 | 90,5 | 5,3 | 80,5% |
| Zandhoven | 1.679 | 124,1 | 6,3 | 80,8% |
| Lille | 1.674 | 97,5 | 5,2 | 78,5% |
| Essen | 1.657 | 84,2 | 4,6 | 78,2% |
| Boechout | 1.541 | 109,2 | 4,7 | 77,1% |
| Stabroek | 1.530 | 80,0 | 4,2 | 70,9% |
| Rumst | 1.511 | 97,1 | 4,6 | 83,0% |
| Oud-Turnhout | 1.499 | 98,5 | 4,6 | 77,6% |
| Duffel | 1.484 | 81,5 | 4,2 | 81,1% |
| Ravels | 1.445 | 90,6 | 5,3 | 79,8% |
| Boom | 1.378 | 69,0 | 3,5 | 66,1% |
| Wijnegem | 1.320 | 123,3 | 5,3 | 76,1% |
| Arendonk | 1.281 | 95,4 | 6,0 | 80,8% |
| Grobbendonk | 1.218 | 104,9 | 4,9 | 79,8% |
| Rijkevorsel | 1.188 | 94,6 | 6,6 | 82,7% |
| Herselt | 1.129 | 76,4 | 4,5 | 81,3% |
| Laakdal | 1.115 | 65,5 | 3,6 | 79,7% |
| Olen | 1.104 | 85,3 | 3,1 | 77,5% |
| Retie | 1.068 | 88,4 | 4,9 | 79,8% |
| Berlaar | 1.057 | 87,0 | 4,3 | 82,7% |
| Hulshout | 1.035 | 97,2 | 4,7 | 78,6% |
| Hove | 1.025 | 122,0 | 6,4 | 82,3% |
| Vosselaar | 910 | 76,3 | 4,4 | 77,6% |
| Merksplas | 856 | 95,4 | 4,6 | 81,5% |
| Meerhout | 854 | 82,4 | 4,5 | 77,9% |
| Dessel | 850 | 83,4 | 5,4 | 78,5% |
| Lint | 799 | 93,3 | 4,0 | 79,8% |
| Hemiksem | 792 | 63,5 | 3,0 | 71,0% |
| Herenthout | 780 | 82,4 | 4,1 | 79,5% |
| Niel | 753 | 68,1 | 3,7 | 74,9% |
| Schelle | 734 | 83,6 | 4,0 | 79,5% |
| Vorselaar | 615 | 76,3 | 4,6 | 79,0% |
| Baarle-Hertog | 263 | 84,8 | 5,5 | 73,1% |
By sector
| Sector | Active | Starts per 100 |
|---|---|---|
| NProfessional, scientific and technical activities | 40.662 | 9,7 |
| GWholesale and retail trade | 27.716 | 7,1 |
| FConstruction | 24.431 | 9,0 |
| TOther services | 15.098 | 10,5 |
| OAdministrative and support services | 14.528 | 11,2 |
| KTelecommunications, computing and information services | 11.262 | 9,9 |
| RHuman health and social work | 10.931 | 8,8 |
| IAccommodation and food services | 10.456 | 8,4 |
| CManufacturing | 9.994 | 7,0 |
| SArts, sports and recreation | 9.385 | 8,4 |
| MReal estate | 8.416 | 4,4 |
| LFinancial and insurance activities | 7.588 | 2,9 |
| HTransport and storage | 6.711 | 13,6 |
| QEducation | 5.391 | 12,3 |
| AAgriculture, forestry and fishing | 5.119 | 4,5 |
| JPublishing, broadcasting and content | 2.265 | 12,4 |
| EWater, waste and remediation | 368 | 4,9 |
| DEnergy supply | 236 | 8,1 |
| PPublic administration and defence | 199 | 0,5 |
| BMining and quarrying | 26 | 3,8 |
| UHouseholds as employers | 23 | 4,3 |
| VExtraterritorial organisations | 5 | 0,0 |
Sources: KBO open data of the FPS Economy, as of 9 November 2026 · Peppol directory · Statbel (CC BY 4.0), processed by Firmatlas · How we count