Swedbank survey: interest among young people in starting a business has surged sharply

A Swedbank survey shows that interest among young people under 30 in starting a business has grown from 25 percent to 42 percent over one year. At the same time, young people cite a lack of knowledge and opportunities to validate their ideas.

Entrepreneurial spirit among Estonian youth has risen notably – in Swedbank's latest survey, it emerged that 42 percent of those under 30 want to start their own business this year, whereas the figure was only 25 percent last year. The growth is therefore nearly double over one year.

Although the desire to start a business is strong, the survey also shows that young people encounter several significant obstacles. Above all, they feel a lack of necessary knowledge, and they lack opportunities to test and validate their business ideas. This suggests there is a clear need for entrepreneurial education and practical pilot programmes.

The results indicate that Estonian society needs more systematic measures to support young entrepreneurs – whether through mentoring programmes, access to start-up capital, or practical educational formats that would help ideas become reality.