📌 In 2026, the self-employed are still On the road to survivalis standing on.
The phrase ‘closing the door’ is no longer an emotional expression. Reality confirmed by statisticsIt is.
According to recently published figures, many self-employed people choose to close their business every year, and the background is Complex factors such as reduced consumption, high prices, rising rents, and the minimum wage increaseThis is in place.
In this article, with the latest statistics on the closure of the self-employed in 2026, The reason why the business closure is on the riseI did.
통계청 사업체 조사
국세청 사업자 등록/폐업 통계
🧮 Annual closure rate of self-employed
📊 What is the self-employment closure rate?
The self-employment closure rate is Percentage of businesses that have started with self-employment during the yearsays.
That figure is domestic Statistical OfficeAnd RevenueIt is analyzed based on business registration/closing data.
According to the latest analysis of 2026,
- 📉 The self-employment closure rate is more than 20% per yearis estimated as
→ 2 out of 10 structures closed doors - Especially Small business owners, individual entrepreneursThe closure rate of
📌 The closure rate is not just a number Regional commercial districts, characteristics by industry, economic situationAll of these are reflected.
Why is the closure rate so high?
🟦 1) Consumption recession
In recent years, domestic consumption has been Reduce household spendingled to.
If consumption decreases Restaurant, wholesale and retail, service industry Sales such as the other are hit hard.
Here Interest rate hikes and inflationThis overlap has led to a decrease in consumption potential.
🟨 2) Increased rent and fixed cost burden
The representative fixed cost of the self-employed is Rent, labor cost, raw material costIt is.
- in the center of the commercial district The rent is still high
- due to an increase in the minimum wage Increased labor cost burden
- Living inflation risesAs a result, the raw material cost continues to rise
This cost-increasing structure Even if the sales declined a little, it immediately leads to a lossIt’s easy to be done.
🟧 3) Financial and loan burden
Many of the self-employed Starting a business using loans from the financial sectorDo it.
However, if sales are prolonged Loan interest burden and principal repayment pressureThis is getting bigger,
In the end, there are many cases where they cannot stand up and choose to close their business.
💼 Differences in the closure rate by industry
🍽️ Food and lodging business
One of the hardest hits Food and lodging businessIt is.
Especially Small restaurants, cafes, inns The competition is fierce in sales and high operating costs.
- 📉 The highest level of closure of the food and lodging business
- Significantly affected by seasons and games
🛍️ Wholesale and retail business
Offline wholesale and retail business is also experiencing difficulties due to online shopping growth and intensifying competition.
- With the expansion of the online market Decrease in store sales
- Increases when you choose to close the business due to the high inventory burden
⚙️ Service industry
In industries such as education and personal service, the closure rate is high due to the combination of overheating of competition and labor costs.
📌 The real voice of the self-employed
🥲 ‘I ended up paying the rent because my monthly income didn’t even fill my rent.’
🥺 ‘I don’t have any money left after I paid the employee’s salary.’
😔 ‘The competition was so fierce and the number of customers was reduced.’
These vivid reviews are also reflected in statistics.
Even more in terms of numbers Realistic and desperate situationIt is.
📈 The relationship between self-employment closure rates and economic indicators
📉 Income decline
If household income decreases Food, dining, and service consumptionis reduced first.
The decrease in consumption is the Reduced self-employment incomeis directly connected to.
💸 Increased cost
Minimum wage, rent increase, interest rate hikes, etc.
Deterioration of profitability → Decided to closeIt often leads to .
📌 How to lower the closure rate?
💡 Expand policy support
- Rent Stabilization Policy
- Tax Reduction and Financial Assistance
- Personalized consulting support for small business owners
💡 Management innovation efforts
- Expand online sales
- Cost reduction and menu/service differentiation
- Market research and trends
❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
🧠 Q1. Is the rate of self-employed closure increasing?
The closure rate fluctuates in terms of economy and cost structure.
In 2026, sales stagnation and cost burden were accumulated. The trend of high closure ratesIt is.
🧠 Q2. Is it easy to try again when the business is closed?
It is possible to try again, but The structure is not easy even with financial burden and experienceIt is.
When economic recovery and policy support are combined, a more stable re-establishment is possible.
🧠 Conclusion
📌 The closure rate of the self-employed in 2026 is still highIt is.
It’s not just ‘closing the door’ because it can’t do business. Reality proven by statisticsIt is.
✔️ Slow consumption
✔️ Cost increase
✔️ Intensifying competition
✔️ Financial burden
These factors act in a complex way and increase the closure rate.
It’s not just an individual failure structural problemIt’s time to approach.
The increase in the closure of the self-employed is difficult to explain only by individual management ability. This is the result of a complex effect of structural problems such as consolidation of consumption, fixed cost burden, and intensifying competition..
It is time to understand the closure statistics as a reality, not as a simple number, and to discuss institutional support and environmental improvement together.
🔗 Statistics Office Business Research – Statistics for Business Life and Death
👉 https://kostat.go.kr
🔗 National Tax Service Business Registration/Closing Statistics
👉 https://www.nts.go.kr
🔗 Small Business Market Promotion Corporation – Self-employment Statistical Information
👉 https://www.sbiz.or.kr
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