Insee Focus · December 2024 · n° 344

Between 2014 and 2022, the number of manufacturing establishments increased by 28%, boosted by micro-entrepreneurs

Throughout 2022, 310,000 manufacturing establishments were economically active. These establishments may be factories, but many were also the places of business of sole proprietors without employees. Since 2014, the number of establishments in the manufacturing sector has increased by around a third (28%). Between 2017 and 2021, there was a sharp increase in the number of economical establishment births, mainly due to the large number of micro-entrepreneurs registered during this period. The number of manufacturing establishments with 20 or more employees rose by 3% between 2017 and 2022.