Kirill Chernovol, Researcher at the Gaidar Institute’s International Best Practices Analysis Department, in a comment for Forbes, drew attention to the decline in the number of self-employed receiving certain forms of government support.
According to the expert, this trend has been observed for several years and may be linked to both increased financial risks and changing needs of small businesses.
According to the registry of SMEs receiving support, 9071 self-employed received subsidies and grants for business development in 2024, whereas in 2025, the number dropped to 8,422—a decrease of 7.2%. An even more significant decline was recorded in guarantees and sureties for preferential loans: while 118 self-employed took advantage of this opportunity in 2024, only 38 did so in 2025.
“It is worth noting that the number of self-employed recipients of certain significant support measures is declining, and this downward trend has been ongoing for more than just the past year. This may be linked to increased risks: loans, even preferential ones, are becoming more expensive, while the self-employed’s ability to repay them does not improve over time. In addition, the very structure of the self-employed’s needs is changing—support measures “for development” may become less in demand in a situation where businesses already require resources primarily for survival and maintaining current operations,” noted Kirill Chernovol.