Afghanistan: New businesses registered (number)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 33.94% from 3,191 in 2013 (6.02% a year on average, compounded). Since 2009 it is up 17% from 3,653 in 2009 (1.76% a year on average, compounded).

What the numbers say

In 2018, Afghanistan's new businesses registered (number) rose 41.4% on 2017 (from 3,022 to 4,274).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2010 to 2017), the average change was −0.7% and a typical year strayed about 19.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 41.4% in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 22.7% in 2014. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2018 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 16% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

Closest to Afghanistan in the 2018 ranking

• Qatar — 1st of 8: 14,824
• Myanmar — 2nd of 8: 14,051
• Tanzania — 3rd of 8: 5,276
• Tajikistan — 5th of 8: 831
• Solomon Islands — 6th of 8: 444
• Vanuatu — 7th of 8: 258

What this measures

New businesses registered are the number of new limited liability corporations (or its equivalent) registered in the calendar year.

Limitations: The definition of entrepreneurship used is limited to the formal sector. Yet, it should be noted that the exclusion of the informal sector is based on the difficulties of quantifying the number of firms that compose it, rather than on its relevance for developing economies. Data collected from economies categorized as offshore financial centers by Eurostat are excluded from the analysis, because registered entities in these countries may not fit the objective of the Entrepreneurship Database aiming at measuring formally registered companies with actual economic activities.

All 10 values

New businesses registered (number) in nearby economies

• Algeria — 24,482 (2024)
• Bahrain — 7,580 (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 18,587 (2022)
• Iraq — 3,037 (2022)
• Israel — 17,470 (2024)
• Jordan — 5,009 (2024)
• Kuwait — 8,357 (2024)
• Malta — 3,247 (2024)
• Morocco — 67,138 (2024)
• Oman — 5,804 (2020)
• Pakistan — 30,004 (2024)

More private sector & trade data for Afghanistan

• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$3.61 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$926 million (2025)
• Merchandise exports to high-income economies (% of total merchandise exports) — 12.88% (2023)
• Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in South Asia (% of total merchandise exports) — 69.93% (2023)
• Merchandise exports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise exports) — 0% (2023)
• Merchandise exports by the reporting economy (current US$) — US$438.77 million (2023)
• Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise exports) — 69.93% (2023)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Afghanistan's new businesses registered (number)?

4,274 in 2018, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2009?

It is up 17% from 3,653 in 2009 (1.76% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 4,759 in 2010 and the lowest 2,255 in 2015.

Is the latest change in new businesses registered (number) unusual for Afghanistan?

In 2018, Afghanistan's new businesses registered (number) rose 41.4% on 2017 (from 3,022 to 4,274). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2010 to 2017), the average change was −0.7% and a typical year strayed about 19.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Entrepreneurship Database, World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IC.BUS.NREG, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Entrepreneurship Database, World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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