Insee Première · July 2026 · n° 2118

Micro-Entrepreneurs Registered in 2018: Diverse Profiles and Outcomes Under a System that Offers Low Earnings and Little Long-Term Stability

Among the 400,000 micro-entrepreneurs registered in 2018, six distinct profiles emerged: “employees with a side business” (27% of start‑ups), “unemployed individuals” (26%), “students” (18%), “start-up founders outside the labour market” (13%), “start-up founders in the construction sector” (9%) and “experienced entrepreneurs” (7%). The terms used to describe each profile are based on the characteristics of the entrepreneurs who are strongly represented within them, although this does not mean that each profile is entirely distinct.

The five-year survival rate for all micro-entrepreneurs from 2018 was 28%. It ranged from 13% for the “students” profile to 37% to the “construction entrepreneurs” profile. The average turnover of micro‑enterprises that remained in business for five years was 19,600 euros in 2023. It ranged from 15,200 euros for “start-up entrepreneurs outside the labour market” to 27,600 euros for “start-up entrepreneurs in the construction sector”. It increased by an average of 27% between 2019 and 2023, despite the difficulties encountered during the health crisis.

Among micro-entrepreneurs still active at the end of 2023, around three out of ten were engaged in a separate paid job in 2023, the same proportion as at the time of registration. This applied to fewer than 20% of “start-up entrepreneurs in the construction sector” and “start-up entrepreneurs outside the labour market”, but still half of “employees with a side business”.