October 2021
October 2021
CRIF investigated how many of the businesses registered in the Swiss Commercial Register are economically active and how many of these businesses are ghost companies. The findings showed that in Switzerland there are 202,115 ghost companies, which is equivalent to 29.3% of all the businesses in the Commercial Register. The highest number of ghost companies are based in the Canton of Zurich (34,419), followed by the Canton of Vaud (20,095), and the Canton of Bern (18,468).
A look at the total number of companies reveals that the Canton of Jura is home to the highest percentage of ghost companies, with 37%. The lowest percentage of inactive companies is reported by the Canton of Ticino, with 24.2%.
Sectors
Most of the ghost companies are in the sector that covers the “Provision of professional, scientific and technical activities” (40,968), which includes businesses offering tax consultancy, auditing, and management consultancy services. This is followed by the sectors covering the “Retail trade and repair of motor vehicles” (33,045) and “Other services” (14,845).
Legal form
Our investigation of the legal forms of the businesses produced the following picture: most ghost companies are sole traders; over 50% of the registered businesses are inactive. Next come general partnerships, where 42.7% are inactive, and charitable foundations (29.8%). The lowest level of inactive companies is found among the “Aktiengesellschaft” or Public Limited Company form of business (14.1%).
About the survey
The survey looked at all businesses over 18 months old and verified their economic activities. Companies that had not applied for credit, purchased goods or services, or published any amendments in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce were defined as ghost companies. The reference date for this survey is October 13, 2021.
The full study can be requested from presse.ch@crif.com.
