Women Lead Over 2 Million New Small Businesses in Brazil in 2025

In 2025, women emerged as leaders in over 2 million new small businesses in Brazil, accounting for approximately 42% of all new business establishments, according to data from SEBRAE and the Federal Revenue Service. This represents a significant increase of more than 320,000 female-led businesses compared to the previous year.

The country saw a total of 4.96 million new microentrepreneurs and small businesses opened, which constitute 96% of all new business registrations. Among these, women were especially prominent among microentrepreneurs (MEIs), with 1.6 million new CNPJs representing 42% of MEI openings. However, female participation dips to 39% in micro and small enterprises, highlighting continuing challenges women face in scaling their businesses.

Sector-wise, the industrial sector led in female participation with 45% of new businesses being women-led, followed by services at 44%, and commerce at 43%. The construction sector had the lowest female presence at just 11%. Regionally, women's entrepreneurial activity was strongest in the Southeast and South regions, with Rio de Janeiro topping the list with 44.3% of new businesses led by women, closely followed by Rio Grande do Sul (42.9%) and São Paulo (42.8%).

A noteworthy legislative development is the recent unanimous approval by the Chamber of Deputies of a bill to increase the MEI annual revenue ceiling to R$130,000 and allow the hiring of two employees instead of one. This change, pending Senate confirmation and presidential sanction, aims to modernize the MEI framework, which has not been updated since 2018, and may facilitate growth opportunities for female microentrepreneurs by enabling them to expand without losing their MEI status.

This surge in female entrepreneurship is accompanied by growing efforts among women to obtain qualifications in management and key service sectors like beauty and wellness, seen as strategic entry points into business ownership. Despite these positive trends, the data underscores persistent barriers to business expansion for women, as participation rates decline in larger enterprise categories.