BigDataCorp released the second edition of its study "CNPJs do Brasil," which analyzes the business landscape in the country. In March 2025, Brazil surpassed 64 million registered CNPJs, a 7.72% increase compared to the same period of the previous year. Looking only at active companies, the growth was even greater: 16.11%, increasing from 21.8 million establishments to 25.3 million. This rapid increase in the number of businesses in operation demonstrates the dynamism of the Brazilian market, which continues to expand rapidly.
This expansion is especially visible in the micro and small business segment, which leads the movement. Individual microenterprises (MEIs) grew by 20.90% in the last 12 months and already account for 78.74% of active CNPJs in the country. Small family businesses, with two or more partners all from the same family, are the second largest category, representing 9.75% of the total. In total, 88.49% of Brazilian organizations are micro or small family businesses, and the evolution of this type of business reflects significant transformations in Brazilian society and the economy.
Transformation and Formalization of Work
Thoran Rodrigues, CEO of BigDataCorp, highlights that the observed growth is the result of two major ongoing trends in the market. "Firstly, we have the strong phenomenon of 'pejotization' of labor relations. In this context, many people who were previously employed with a formal employment contract in the traditional model have started to act as service providers, structuring their activities as companies," he explains.
This transformation in the way people are hired can be observed in the growth of companies that declare "sales promotion" or "administrative support" as their main economic activities. These two activities are commonly used by workers who are transitioning to a PJ (individual legal entity) model, and they were the two most prevalent types of activity in the new companies. 6.76% of the CNPJs opened throughout 2024 had one of them as their main area of activity.
The formalization of small businesses, especially those linked to the so-called 'gig economy,' is the second major trend identified by the study. As an example, we observe that several activities in the transportation sector, both passenger and freight, had a higher-than-expected participation in business openings," adds Rodrigues.
In addition to the transportation sector, formalization is also reflected in small commerce and essential services such as hairdressers and manicurists, segments that continue to experience strong growth in the number of businesses opened.
Business mortality
Despite the overall growth in the number of active companies, the study also revealed an increase in business mortality. Proportionally, more companies closed their activities throughout 2024 than in any previous year, except in 2021, when the country was still dealing with the effects of the pandemic. A large part of this mortality is related to a return to normalcy in the economy.
For example, a disproportionate number of companies in the food delivery preparation sector was observed, reflecting a contraction in a segment that experienced significant growth from 2020 to 2022. Throughout 2024, 1.66% of closed deals operated in this area.
This acceleration in closures, when combined with the increase in openings, points to greater volatility in the Brazilian market, with less long-lasting companies and morechurn"ends the executive."
