Nepal: New business density (new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Nepal's new business density (new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64) rose 0.39 on 2019 (from 1.01 to 1.4).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2019), the average change was +0.05 and a typical year strayed about 0.16 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 0.39 in 2020 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.36 in 2019. 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 0.09 a year. A straight line explains 81% 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.

Closest to Nepal in the 2020 ranking

• United Arab Emirates — 4th of 8: 2.48
• Oman — 5th of 8: 1.79
• Lesotho — 6th of 8: 1.47
• Mali — 8th of 8: 0.25

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 15 values

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

• Bangladesh — 0.06 (2024)
• Bhutan — 0.07 (2022)
• India — 0.18 (2024)
• Maldives — 4.85 (2023)
• Sri Lanka — 1.19 (2022)

More private sector & trade data for Nepal

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 36.73% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$14.4 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$2.31 billion (2025)
• Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports) — 8.48% (2025)
• Commercial service imports (current US$) — US$2.5 billion (2025)
• Transport services (% of commercial service imports) — 21% (2025)
• Travel services (% of commercial service imports) — 65.62% (2025)
• Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service exports) — 42.86% (2025)
• Commercial service exports (current US$) — US$1.58 billion (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Nepal's new business density (new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64)?

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

How has it changed since 2006?

It is up 279.15% from 0.37 in 2006 (9.99% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.4 in 2020 and the lowest 0.37 in 2006.

Is the latest change in new business density (new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64) unusual for Nepal?

In 2020, Nepal's new business density (new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64) rose 0.39 on 2019 (from 1.01 to 1.4). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2019), the average change was +0.05 and a typical year strayed about 0.16 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.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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