Size and presence
64.0% of active franchise networks had their first unit identified from 2010 onward
of the networks with at least 5 CNPJs had their first unit identified from 2010 onward
See the full table (7 rows)
| First unit | Networks | Share | Measured networks | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1979 | 30 | 1.9% | 15 | 3.0% |
| 1980s | 49 | 3.1% | 30 | 6.0% |
| 1990s | 178 | 11.4% | 105 | 20.9% |
| 2000s | 308 | 19.6% | 143 | 28.4% |
| 2010s | 728 | 46.4% | 183 | 36.4% |
| Since 2020 | 275 | 17.5% | 27 | 5.4% |
| Total | 1,568 | 100.0% | 503 | 100.0% |
New networks per yearYear of the first identified unit and year of the fifth CNPJ, from 1992 to 2025, among the 1,568 networks in activity with at least 5 CNPJs. The recent drop in the first line results largely from the cutoff, because a recently opened network has not yet reached 5 CNPJs.
By segment and decadeNetworks by decade of the first identified unit. Cells with fewer than 5 networks, and those that would allow them to be deduced by subtraction, appear as suppressed.
| Segment | Networks | Up to 1979 | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | Since 2020 | From 2010 onward | Median year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Services and other businesses | 441 | suppressed | suppressed | 39 | 78 | 214 | 99 | 71.0% | 2015 |
| Food | 427 | 10 | 7 | 44 | 67 | 233 | 66 | 70.0% | 2014 |
| Health, beauty and wellness | 254 | suppressed | suppressed | 23 | 53 | 118 | 48 | 65.4% | 2013 |
| Fashion and accessories | 180 | 6 | 15 | 40 | 62 | 43 | 14 | 31.7% | 2005 |
| Education | 91 | suppressed | suppressed | 16 | 14 | suppressed | suppressed | 52.7% | 2010 |
| Food, retail and distribution | 90 | suppressed | suppressed | suppressed | 19 | 37 | 25 | 68.9% | 2014 |
| Gyms and sports | 55 | 0 | 0 | suppressed | suppressed | suppressed | suppressed | 81.8% | 2016 |
| Tourism and hospitality | 30 | 0 | suppressed | suppressed | suppressed | suppressed | suppressed | 43.3% | 2008 |
| All networks | 1,568 | 30 | 49 | 178 | 308 | 728 | 275 | 64.0% | 2013 |
Current status of each cohort, among networks in activityAll networks in the table have a current franchise offer, so no column measures network mortality. Recent activity considers the 24 months through September 2026.
| First unit | Networks | CNPJs opened, median | CNPJs active today, median | Share of opened CNPJs still active | Opened a CNPJ in 24 months | Below half of own peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1979 | 30 | 196 | 60 | 40.8% | 86.7% | 46.7% |
| 1980s | 49 | 114 | 54 | 47.0% | 91.8% | 32.7% |
| 1990s | 178 | 94 | 41 | 52.6% | 83.7% | 16.3% |
| 2000s | 308 | 62 | 29 | 53.0% | 86.7% | 18.5% |
| 2010s | 728 | 24 | 14 | 60.7% | 79.4% | 11.5% |
| Since 2020 | 275 | 10 | 8 | 83.3% | 93.8% | 2.9% |
Class 77.40-3: active head offices by year of openingOrder of magnitude of mortality outside the universe, without the filter for networks in activity. The class includes franchisors and other brand licensors, and the 3, 5 and 10 year columns count those with no deregistration, inapt status or suspension at the end of the corresponding year. Cohorts before 2010 are left out because the class was created in CNAE 2.0, in force since 2007, and a company closed before then may not have been reclassified.
| Year of opening | Head offices opened | Active at 3 years | At 5 years | At 10 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 304 | 93.8% | 86.5% | 65.5% |
| 2011 | 358 | 93.0% | 86.9% | 59.5% |
| 2012 | 375 | 90.9% | 84.3% | 55.7% |
| 2013 | 418 | 86.1% | 69.4% | 47.8% |
| 2014 | 530 | 87.0% | 72.1% | 49.4% |
| 2015 | 513 | 78.9% | 68.6% | 46.4% |
| 2016 | 504 | 83.5% | 72.4% | |
| 2017 | 648 | 85.3% | 72.8% | |
| 2018 | 737 | 79.5% | 67.8% | |
| 2019 | 944 | 79.1% | 65.9% | |
| 2020 | 866 | 76.8% | 66.2% | |
| 2021 | 1,115 | 73.7% | ||
| 2022 | 1,363 | 73.3% |
First identified unit and founding year published by the networkThe 389 networks on the list that publish their founding year on their own franchise page.
| Decade | First identified unit | Share | Published founding year | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 1979 | 6 | 1.5% | 26 | 6.7% |
| 1980s | 9 | 2.3% | 25 | 6.4% |
| 1990s | 48 | 12.3% | 57 | 14.7% |
| 2000s | 93 | 23.9% | 92 | 23.7% |
| 2010s | 193 | 49.6% | 163 | 41.9% |
| Since 2020 | 40 | 10.3% | 26 | 6.7% |
The CNPJ (Brazilian company registry) keeps the activity start date of every establishment that uses the brand in its trade name, including those already closed. These dates make it possible to place in time the first identified unit of each franchise network, a measure that does not depend on the year reported by the company itself. The indicator applies this procedure to the 1,568 networks in the observatory's universe with at least 5 CNPJs.
The first unit is from 2010 or later in 64.0% of the networks, with 46.4% in the 2010s and 17.5% since 2020, while 5.0% predate 1990. The curve of networks reaching their fifth CNPJ goes from 77.6 per year, from 2016 to 2020, to 83.6 per year, from 2021 to 2025, with a peak in 2020. The fashion and accessories segment has the smallest share from 2010 onward, 31.7%, and gyms and sports the largest, 81.8%.
The set includes only networks in activity, so the figures describe the survivors, not the births. In CNAE (national classification of economic activities) class 77.40-3, without this filter, 68.5% of the head offices opened from 2016 to 2020 were still active five years later. Among networks in activity, older cohorts are further from their own peak of active CNPJs, with 32.7% of those that emerged in the 1980s below half of it, compared with 11.5% of those that emerged in the 2010s.
The first identified unit approximates the birth, with a bias toward recent dates. In the 389 networks that publish their founding year, the share from 2010 onward is 59.9% by first unit and 48.6% by published founding year, and the two measures fall in the same decade in 50.9% of cases.
How we calculate
We start from the list of establishments that the observatory's census attributes to each network in the open CNPJ data of Receita Federal (the federal tax authority), reference month October 2026, by the trade name expression and the expected CNAE subclasses, in any registration status. The 1,568 networks with at least 5 CNPJs are included, out of 2,008 with some attributed CNPJ. The first identified unit is the earliest activity start date followed by at least two other CNPJs of the network within five years, a rule that discards an isolated old CNPJ. The second measure is the date of the network's fifth CNPJ.
For each cohort we calculate the median number of CNPJs opened and active, the share of opened CNPJs that remain active, the share of networks with an opening in the last 24 months and the share below half of their own peak, reconstructed from the start and status dates. Mortality outside the universe is approximated by the head offices in CNAE class 77.40-3, without an MEI (individual microentrepreneur regime) election, by year of opening. The check uses the founding year published by 389 networks on their own franchise page and the start date of the CNPJ that 570 networks publish as franchisor.
What this figure does not show
- The universe is made up of networks in activity in October 2026, and a defunct network is not included. The distribution by decade does not equal the distribution of births, because the older decades only count those that survived to the present. For this reason the share from 2010 onward tends to be larger than it would be with defunct networks, and the rise of the annual curve cannot be read as an increase in births.
- Class 77.40-3 is an approximation, because it includes other brand licensors and leaves out franchisors registered under the activity of the business.
- The date is that of the establishment, which may predate its entry into the network, and namesakes may push it earlier. Network by network, the first unit falls within five years of the published founding in 55.5% of cases, with 9.3% more than five years before and 35.2% more than five years after, and falls in the same decade in 50.9%. In these 389 networks, the share from 2010 onward is 59.9% by first unit and 48.6% by published founding year. The measure approximates the aggregate distribution, with a bias toward recent dates, and not the date of each network, which is not published.
- Decades before 1990 are underestimated, since some brands are older than their current CNPJs. In the check, 51 networks publish a founding date before 1990, compared with 15 with a first unit identified in that period.
- A network with fewer than 5 CNPJs is left out, which underestimates recent years in the first unit curve. The fifth CNPJ curve reduces this effect but remains subject to survivorship bias. The trade name required by the count also leaves out units registered only under the legal name.
- The universe keeps 43 networks with a current franchise offer and no active CNPJ in the subset. The offer is verified on the network's page, and the CNPJ by trade name.
Frequently asked questions
Are Brazilian franchise networks young?
Of the 1,568 networks with at least 5 CNPJs (Brazilian company registry) measured by the Franquias em Dados observatory, 64.0% had their first unit identified from 2010 onward and 5.0% before 1990. The measure leans toward recent dates: in the 389 networks that publish their founding year, the share from 2010 onward is 59.9% by first unit and 48.6% by published year. The figure describes the networks that survived until October 2026 and does not include defunct ones.
How many new franchise networks emerge each year in Brazil?
There is no complete count of births. Among networks in activity, 83.6 per year reached their fifth CNPJ (Brazilian company registry) from 2021 to 2025, compared with 77.6 per year from 2016 to 2020. The comparison favors recent years, because some of the earlier networks are already defunct and are not counted.
How many franchisors close within five years?
There is no registry of franchisors, and the available measure is that of CNAE (national classification of economic activities) class 77.40-3, which includes franchisors and other brand licensors. Of the 3,699 head offices opened in the class from 2016 to 2020, 68.5% were still active five years later, according to their registration status in the database of Receita Federal (the federal tax authority).
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Size and presenceOther indicators in the same group
Maintained by Marktech, which serves franchise networks and franchises. The brands cited belong to their owners and are mentioned here only to identify the network the data refers to.