Profit and business: Russians' incomes from entrepreneurship have reached a record
Household incomes from entrepreneurship in January–September reached a record in at least five years, Izvestia found out. They increased by 28% compared to last year, to 6.7 trillion rubles. This was influenced by the development of import substitution, the mechanism of self-employment and microbusiness on marketplaces. In general, Russians earned 90.5 trillion from all sources of income in nine months, which is 8% more than a year earlier, adjusted for inflation. At the same time, the share of profits from entrepreneurship is growing. Why this is good for the economy and whether the trend will continue is in the Izvestia article.
Have Russians started earning more in 2025
The total incomes of Russians in January–September of this year reached 90.5 trillion rubles, which is 18% more than in 2024. Such data was provided by Svetlana Misikhina, deputy director of the HSE Development Center, in the review "Incomes and Expenses of the population", which was analyzed by Izvestia. The calculations are based on Rosstat statistics. At the same time, even taking into account inflation, the earnings of citizens still increased by 8%.
Of all the incomes of Russians, the main part (more than 60%) came from wages — it brought in 54.9 trillion. The second place was taken by social payments — state support reached 15.5 trillion (17%).
Next comes earnings from property (8 trillion) and income from entrepreneurial activities. In January–September, the latter amounted to 6.7 trillion rubles, which was a record since at least 2020 (there is no earlier data in statistics).
The increase for the year was 28.4%, which turned out to be the largest among all items and, adjusted for inflation, reached 17.4%. At the same time, the share of income from entrepreneurship has also increased, amounting to 7.4% of the total. For comparison, in 2024 it was at the level of 7%, and in 2023 — 6.8%.
Why has the profit from entrepreneurship increased?
Among the main reasons for the growth of income from entrepreneurship is the development of a tool for self—employment and microbusiness on marketplaces, experts say.
More and more people are choosing to work for themselves. In particular, because the labor market has become less predictable, says Andrei Glushkin, a member of the council of the MRO Delovaya Rossiya.
— The threshold for entering a small business has decreased: registration is simple, tax regimes are clear, and thanks to digital services, even a small flow of orders can be turned into stable earnings. Plus, part of the income just came out of the shadows, and statistics finally began to see what previously existed unofficially," he explained.
In addition, the demand for services has increased, from repairs to home delivery and rental, and people are rapidly occupying these niches. Inflation also played a role, but the real increase suggests that it's not just about the numbers on paper: entrepreneurship has indeed become a more visible source of income, the expert said.
Import substitution also played a role, says Igor Morozov, CEO of Rutmark. Russian manufacturers have occupied vacant niches, including clothing, accessories, household goods, leisure and travel. There are more orders, which means that local brands have more revenue, he explained.
In addition, it has become easier to enter the business due to online channels. You can launch a brand without your own retail and immediately work across the country, the expert added.
Private initiative is becoming more active in the economy, and the number of people who not only receive salaries, but also create jobs is growing, said Igor Morozov from Rutmark. The number of self-employed people is also increasing, partly because citizens continue to actively seek additional income, said Ekaterina Nezhnikova, Professor at the Faculty of Economics at the Rudn University.
This is happening against the background of extremely low unemployment and staff shortages in a number of areas. According to Rosstat, its level remained at a historic low of 2.1% for several months and only increased slightly in September, reaching 2.2%.
To some extent, the increase in income from entrepreneurial activity may also be related to a shortage of the labor market, agreed Vladimir Eremkin, senior researcher at the IPEI Structural Research Laboratory at the Presidential Academy. Large businesses are forced to raise wages, ultimately affecting both small entrepreneurs and the self-employed, he explained.
The growth leaders are those who offer services and goods to cover basic human needs — food, clothing, and accommodation, said Alexey Begaev, founder of the Insek Group of companies. Therefore, retail is in an advantageous position, and the sale of consumer goods through marketplaces enhances the economic effect, he explained. Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Energy about the reasons for the increase in income of Russians.
Will the population's income continue to grow
— An increase in the share of income from entrepreneurship is a good sign. This means that people have more options for earning money and the economy becomes a little more flexible. 7.4% is not much, but enough to see a trend: more and more people are trying to work independently, look for their income models and rely on their own skills," says Andrey Glushkin from Delovaya Rossiya.
If conditions for small businesses and the self-employed remain clear and predictable, and the market needs flexible employment formats, then growth will continue, the expert believes. At the same time, business incomes are very sensitive to changes — if demand decreases or costs increase, growth may slow down, he warned.
It can be slowed down by a drop in real incomes of the population and a reduction in consumer spending, a sharp increase in the fiscal burden and more complicated regulation, said Igor Morozov from Rutmark. The rapid growth of business costs (for raw materials, logistics, rent, personnel) and difficulties with access to equipment and technologies, especially for production, also negatively affect, he stressed.
At the same time, stable domestic demand, clear rules of the game and feasible taxes for small and medium-sized businesses can support the trend. As well as the development of logistics and marketplaces, simplifying market entry and increasing trust in Russian brands and products, the expert explained.
— For an economy with a strong public sector, the share of 7.4% is already noticeable. But ideally, it should gradually grow further. This is a normal, but not a marginal level, a good basis for further increasing the role of entrepreneurship," Igor Morozov is convinced.
At the same time, in his opinion, it will continue to grow not so much the number of new businesses as the quality and scale of those who already work.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
