Least developed countries: UN classification: New business density (new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 39.42% from 0.28 in 2015 (6.87% a year on average, compounded). Since 2011 it is up 46.56% from 0.27 in 2011 (4.34% a year on average, compounded).

What the numbers say

In 2020, Least developed countries: UN classification's new business density (new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64) fell 0.00206 on 2019 (from 0.4 to 0.4).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2019), the average change was +0.02 and a typical year strayed about 0.02 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.04 in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.00835 in 2013. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.02 a year. A straight line explains 85% 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.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

The number of newly registered firms with limited liability per 1,000 working-age people (ages 15-64) per 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.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a unweighted average.

All 10 values

New business density (new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 0.22 (2018)
• Algeria — 0.83 (2024)
• Bahrain — 6.16 (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 0.26 (2022)
• Iraq — 0.12 (2022)
• Israel — 2.92 (2024)
• Jordan — 0.67 (2024)
• Kuwait — 2.14 (2024)
• Malta

More private sector & trade data for Least developed countries: UN classification

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 41.35% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$376.94 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$311.48 billion (2025)
• Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports) — 12.48% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 36.85% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside region (% of total merchandise imports) — 35.71% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia & Pacific (% of total merchandise imports)

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Questions people ask

What is Least developed countries: UN classification's new business density (new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64)?

0.4 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2011?

It is up 46.56% from 0.27 in 2011 (4.34% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 0.4 in 2019 and the lowest 0.27 in 2013.

Is the latest change in new business density (new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64) unusual for Least developed countries: UN classification?

In 2020, Least developed countries: UN classification's new business density (new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64) fell 0.00206 on 2019 (from 0.4 to 0.4). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2012 to 2019), the average change was +0.02 and a typical year strayed about 0.02 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IC.BUS.NDNS.ZS, 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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