Portugal: New businesses registered (number)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Portugal's new businesses registered (number) rose 50% on 2023 (from 49,158 to 73,740).

Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2023), the average change was +3.2% and a typical year strayed about 11.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 50% in 2024 and the biggest yearly fall was 23% in 2020. 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 2,954 a year. A straight line explains 58% 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

In 2024, Portugal had the 22nd 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 Portugal in the 2024 ranking

• Mexico — 19th of 127: 83,950
• Colombia — 20th of 127: 82,208
• Germany — 21st of 127: 75,775
• Morocco — 23rd of 127: 67,138
• Uzbekistan — 24th of 127: 64,020
• Malaysia — 25th of 127: 59,611

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

• Albania — 4,126 (2024)
• Armenia — 8,381 (2024)
• Austria — 5,982 (2023)
• Azerbaijan — 14,215 (2024)
• Belarus — 7,820 (2022)
• Belgium — 39,772 (2023)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 3,369 (2024)
• Bulgaria — 42,783 (2024)
• Croatia — 14,324 (2024)
• Cyprus — 14,444 (2024)
• Czechia — 29,877 (2024)

More private sector & trade data for Portugal

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 62.1% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$125.85 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$89.42 billion (2025)
• Agricultural raw materials imports (% of merchandise imports) — 1.42% (2025)
• Food imports (% of merchandise imports) — 15.9% (2025)
• Fuel imports (% of merchandise imports) — 8.47% (2025)
• Manufactures imports (% of merchandise imports) — 71.62% (2025)
• Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports) — 2.52% (2025)
• Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

73,740 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2006?

It is up 131.53% from 31,849 in 2006 (4.77% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 73,740 in 2024 and the lowest 27,803 in 2012.

How does Portugal rank?

22nd highest of 127 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, Portugal's new businesses registered (number) rose 50% on 2023 (from 49,158 to 73,740). Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2023), the average change was +3.2% and a typical year strayed about 11.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

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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