Málaga province recorded the most new commercial companies in Andalusia during the first nine months of 2026, but the increase in businesses remaining after closures was slight, according to figures from the Andalusian Institute of Statistics and Cartography (IECA).
A total of 5,958 companies were incorporated in the province between January and September, about 1.5% more than in the same period of 2025. That was a smaller rise than the 6% recorded across Andalusia and the 12.5% increase in Seville. Málaga nevertheless accounted for more than 35% of the region’s new companies, ahead of Seville’s 3,887.
The contrast is sharper when closures are included. Nearly 1,100 companies in Málaga went into liquidation during the nine-month period. Across the province, 3,354 companies ceased trading, leaving net creation—the number formed minus those that closed—at 4,861. That was only 0.3% higher year on year.
Málaga still had the highest net total in Andalusia, ahead of Seville’s 3,032, and contributed more than a third of the regional figure. The regional net total rose by almost 6%, while Seville recorded 10% growth.
September brought a stronger month for Málaga. The province registered 604 new companies, up 9.4% on September 2025 and equal to 40% of all new companies recorded in Andalusia that month. The regional total was 1,532, broadly unchanged year on year; Seville’s figure fell by nearly 5%.
After companies wound up during September are taken into account, Málaga’s net increase was 519—14.6% higher than a year earlier and the largest provincial figure in Andalusia. The region’s net increase for the month was up 5%.
Property-related businesses led September’s incorporations in Málaga, with 139 new companies. Construction-related activities accounted for 161, while wholesale and retail trade added 87 and food and drink services 67. The figures also include 27 companies in programming, consultancy and other IT activities, and nine in the film industry.
The figures show both the scale of business formation in the province and the effect of company closures on its overall growth. The next comparison will depend on how new registrations and closures develop in the remaining months of 2026.