The latest data from INSEE confirm the high mortality of micro-enterprises, highlighting the precariousness and low profitability of this regime despite its attractiveness.
According to a survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee), the micro-entrepreneur regime, although it continues to attract many candidates for entrepreneurship, remains marked by strong instability and limited profitability. The figures published on Wednesday July 15 highlight the difficulty for these structures to sustain themselves and generate sufficient income.
A very low five-year survival rate
According to INSEE, only 28% of micro-entrepreneurs registered in 2018 are still active under this regime five years after their registration. This figure reveals a failure or abandonment rate of more than 70% over five years, a small part of these exits, of the order of 3 to 5%, corresponding to a change of legal status towards the classic company or individual business. In 2018, of the 750,000 businesses created in France, 399,000 were created under the micro-entrepreneur regime, or 53% of creations. Despite this attractiveness, the sustainability of micro-enterprises remains significantly lower than that of other legal forms. Among the 70% of micro-entrepreneurs who have actually started their activity, 39% are sustainable after five years, compared to 63% for traditional individual businesses and 71% for companies.
INSEE distinguishes six major profiles among micro-entrepreneurs, which numbered nearly 759,000 in 2025 compared to around 400,000 in 2018. Five-year survival varies greatly depending on these profiles: construction creators are the most durable (37%), ahead of experienced entrepreneurs (35%) and the unemployed (34%). Followed by creators outside the job market (31%), employees in additional activity (24%) and students (13%).
The most durable profiles are mainly those who are motivated by the desire to create their own job, unlike those who already have a fixed activity elsewhere. By sector, INSEE notes that it is micro-entrepreneurs in building and construction who are doing the best.
Limited income, far from a main activity
Beyond the question of sustainability, the INSEE survey highlights the low income generated by the micro-entrepreneur regime. For micro-enterprises created in 2018 and still active at the end of 2023, the average annual turnover stands at 19,600 euros, with a maximum of 27,600 euros for creators in construction and a minimum of 15,200 euros for creators outside the job market. All micro-entrepreneurs still active combined in 2023, the average turnover reaches 20,000 euros.
However, this turnover does not reflect the real income received by micro-entrepreneurs. After payment of contributions, social charges and taxes, “the real income – that is to say the final salary that the micro-entrepreneur pays himself – only represents half of his turnover with, at the end of the day, an average monthly salary which does not exceed 800 to 900 euros”. This level of remuneration shows that the micro-entrepreneur regime most often makes it possible to obtain “a small additional income while generally working a lot to achieve it… but in no case to participate in the real creation of solid businesses which can then grow to participate in strengthening the economic fabric of the country”.
