Sole Proprietors in Ukraine Increase to 259,976 in 2024, Mykolaiv Declines by 9%

In 2024, the number of sole proprietors with employees in Ukraine increased, but in Mykolaiv region this figure decreased by 9%, and in Odesa region - by 4%. The war and economic instability have affected business in the frontline regions, while other regions have seen an increase in business activity.

This is evidenced by the data of the Opendatabot monitoring service.

In 2024, 259,976 individual entrepreneurs (IEs) paying the single tax had employees. The number of jobs created by entrepreneurs increased slightly over the year, although the total number of employees is still lower than before the full-scale invasion.

Screenshot: Opendatabot

The largest number of employers is concentrated in Dnipropetrovska oblast (24 thousand) and Kyiv (23 thousand), while the most significant increase in the number of entrepreneurs creating jobs was recorded in Khmelnytskyi and Rivne oblasts (+26%).

At the same time, the opposite trend is observed in Mykolaiv region: in recent years, the number of sole proprietors with employees has decreased by 9%. A drop was also recorded in Odesa region (-4%) and other frontline regions.

Screenshot: Opendatabot

Currently, 14,537 employers are registered in Odesa region, 5,117 in Mykolaiv region, and 1,142 in Kherson region.

The dynamics of the labor market among sole proprietors is not always related to the number of registered entrepreneurs or the military situation. For example, in 2020-2021, during the pandemic, the number of employees decreased by 11%, although the total number of sole proprietors remained almost unchanged.

In terms of reporting, starting in 2025, employers will again have to submit reports to the Tax Service on a monthly basis. At the same time, the Verkhovna Rada has registered draft law No. 13108, which proposes to return quarterly reporting, but with a breakdown by month. The initiators of the draft law emphasize that more frequent reporting creates additional administrative pressure on business, especially on small entrepreneurs.

Mykolaiv region is also ranked second among the southern regions in terms of female CEOs. Currently, there are more than 13 thousand female directors. In Ukraine, women run about 449,000 companies, which is almost a third of the total. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the share of women directors has been steadily increasing.

Also, more than 180 thousand companies are registered in the frontline regions, of which more than 43 thousand are located in Mykolaiv and Kherson regions. Mykolaiv region ranks third with 27,346 companies, which is 15.2% of the total, and Kherson region has 16,108 companies registered.

Анна Бальчінос