A plug & play city, connecting in business
A city of networks

Antwerp has been a business hotspot for over five centuries. The result of this never-ending cycle of investment and growth is a mature business network, where partnerships and production chains are easy to form. 

This is most clear in the chemicals industry, with Antwerp being the largest cluster in the world for all things chemistry and refinery. But the same goes for our start-up network, with everything from coworking office spaces to business angels networks and a growth-hacking mentality. Diamonds, fashion, retail, logistics, business services, … you’ll find a network tailored to your needs here. Ready for you to take advantage of.

So what are you waiting for?

9th place

in the ranking of
most open economies

29%

higher GDP per capita
than the EU-average

43

FDI Projects

An entrepreneurial spirit

Entrepreneurship

Net growth of number of companies

Belgium

Belgium shows a steady net growth in number of companies, with the exception of 2018 where the figures show a decline. In 2019, the net growth of business entities recovered and peaks with a growth rate of 4.70%.

Table: Net growth of the number of companies (%)

 

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Belgium

1,22

2,69

2,06

-0,79

4,70

Germany

-0,81

0,18

0,03

-3,86

1,46

France

2,27

1,91

5,38

6,17

6,81

Luxembourg

2,11

1,52

3,71

5,95

2,63

The Netherlands

3,45

3,83

2,20

5,39

5,73

Source: Eurostat, 2019

Antwerp 

In general, Antwerp shows a steady increase in total number of business entities from 2017 to 2021. In addition, the amount of newly starting businesses in Antwerp is growing over the past 5 years, confirming Antwerp is an exciting and interesting city to start a business.

 

 

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Total business entities

96 000

94 699

97 792

98 600

101 666

New business entities

-0,81

0,18

0,03

-3,86

1,46

Source: Stad in Cijfers

Survival Rate of starters

Belgium has the highest survival rate after 3 years compared to its neighboring countries. In 2019, 76.32% of companies have survived 3 years after their startup.

Table: Survival rate of newly established companies after 3  years

 

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Belgium

75,43

71,20

69,99

72,51

73,14

76,32

Germany

52,19

49,96

49,16

52,14

50,67

50,83

France

59,16

59,95

60,71

59,67

62,33

63,57

Luxembourg

68,41

67,92

68,36

67,55

69,32

68,73

The Netherlands

65,25

66,84

71,29

71,37

74,33

75,12

Source: Eurostat, 2019

Belgium also shows the most stable and highest survival ratio after 5 years. In 2019, 62.39% of companies have survived 5 years after their startup. 

 

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Belgium

61,84

63,00

64,41

59,85

57,51

62,39

Germany

38,95

38,31

38,63

38,97

36,51

38,54

France

43,74

44,22

48,18

49,05

50,11

48,80

Luxembourg

54,04

54,43

53,60

54,82

55,80

55,04

The Netherlands

51,53

51,95

53,92

53,32

57,65

59,47

Source: Eurostat, 2019

Starters in Antwerp

The number of starters is growing steadily in Antwerp

The ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge join forces

The city of Antwerp and the City of Bruges have reached an agreement to unify their respective ports. Like this, it will become the world’s first port to reconcile economy, people and climate.