Europe | Startup-Kultur

Immigrants are bringing entrepreneurial flair to Germany

While native Germans are growing less eager to start businesses, new arrivals are ever more so

|BERLIN

GERMANS are famous for hard work and efficiency, but not necessarily for entrepreneurialism. They are less likely to start a new business than Americans, Swedes or even the French (see chart). But the country’s recent wave of immigration appears to be giving its startup rate a boost. In 2015, 44% of newly registered businesses in Germany were founded by people with foreign passports, up from just 13% in 2003. In all, about one-fifth of those engaged in entrepreneurial activity were born abroad.

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline "Startup-Kultur"

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