Eswatini: New businesses registered (number)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Eswatini's new businesses registered (number) fell 1% on 2023 (from 3,440 to 3,405).

Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2023), the average change was +3.7% and a typical year strayed about 11.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 23.4% in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 20.6% in 2007. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 147.94 a year. A straight line explains 89% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 3,965 for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 157.93, against 242.33 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Eswatini had the 100th highest value of the 127 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Eswatini in the 2024 ranking

• Sierra Leone — 97th of 127: 3,712
• Belize — 98th of 127: 3,710
• Slovenia — 99th of 127: 3,545
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 101st of 127: 3,369
• Malta — 102nd of 127: 3,247
• Iceland — 103rd of 127: 2,925

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 19 values

New businesses registered (number) in nearby economies

• Angola — 30,956 (2024)
• Benin — 5,522 (2024)
• Botswana — 21,456 (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 10,046 (2024)
• Burundi — 7,263 (2024)
• Cabo Verde — 7,719 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 258 (2024)
• Chad — 1,391 (2024)
• Comoros — 387 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 6,095 (2024)
• Congo, Rep.

More private sector & trade data for Eswatini

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 86.42% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$2.09 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$2.37 billion (2025)
• Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports) — 71.26% (2025)
• Commercial service imports (current US$) — US$727.36 million (2025)
• Transport services (% of commercial service imports) — 16.12% (2025)
• Travel services (% of commercial service imports) — 9.37% (2025)
• Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service exports) — 40.58% (2025)
• Commercial service exports (current US$)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

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

3,405 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2006?

It is up 64.65% from 2,068 in 2006 (2.81% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 3,524 in 2022 and the lowest 1,454 in 2011.

How does Eswatini rank?

100th highest of 127 economies with data for 2024.

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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