According to statistical data from the Informa D&B Barometer, published on 3 June, real estate dynamics and the identification of new business opportunities led to the creation of 272 new companies in the construction sector, representing a year-on-year growth of 8.4% in the first five months of 2026. This performance extends a sustained expansion path that the activity has been following since 2020.

The strength of the construction sector stands out in a national macroeconomic landscape marked by a slowdown in business creation.

New companies in Portugal

Since the beginning of this year, 24,022 new companies have been founded in the country, a figure that represents a 5.2% decrease, equivalent to 1,324 fewer incorporations, compared with the same period of the previous year.

In the sector that managed to escape the recessionary trend, only the construction sector, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), with 79 more companies (+4.7%), and the wholesale trade, which registered a residual increase of four new firms (+0.4%), are included.

Conversely, the sharpest declines in the generation of new business fronts were concentrated in Agriculture and Natural Resources, with a contraction of 34% (318 fewer companies), closely followed by Transport, which fell by 16% (283 fewer), and Accommodation and Food Services, with a drop of 11% (253 fewer units).

This widespread decline, which affected all regions and districts of the country, interrupts a cycle of recovery in national entrepreneurship that had been active since 2021, only slightly marred by a slight negative fluctuation of 1.2% identified in 2024

Business closures

On the other hand, in terms of business activity, the indicators show signs of stabilisation. The volume of business closures in Portugal has decreased significantly year-to-date, reaching 4,842 operational closures, a 20% reduction (1,212 fewer companies) compared to the first five months of 2025. If the analysis is expanded to the last 12 months, the decrease is 8.4%, corresponding to the cessation of operations of 14,420 companies. The decrease in closures was common across all geographies and economic sectors, with notable resilience in Retail (-12%), Accommodation and Food Services (-10%), and Business Services (-6.8%). Conversely, specific niches such as non-specialised mail-order or internet retail saw closures almost triple (+187%, 112 more closures).

The sectoral barometer concludes with a moderate alert regarding insolvencies, which show signs of reversing the downward trend of recent years. Between January and May 2026, 879 companies initiated legal insolvency proceedings, representing a 3.8% increase (32 more proceedings) compared to the same period of the previous year. Of these, 16% (143 companies) closed immediately.

The sectors that most fueled this financial pressure were Industries (+11%, 20 more proceedings), Real Estate Activities, which skyrocketed 82%, with 18 more insolvencies, and the Accommodation and Food Services sector (+14%, 12 more occurrences).