Switzerland: New businesses registered (number)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2022, Switzerland's new businesses registered (number) rose 10.2% on 2021 (from 16,362 to 18,034).

Across the 15 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2021), the average change was −0.2% and a typical year strayed about 12.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above 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 10.2% in 2022 and the biggest yearly fall was 42.9% 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 2013 to 2022 the straight-line trend is downward, about 967.49 a year. A straight line explains 47% 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 2022, Switzerland had the 3rd highest value of the 12 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 Switzerland in the 2022 ranking

• Nigeria — 1st of 12: 136,961
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 2nd of 12: 18,587
• Sri Lanka — 4th of 12: 17,447
• Panama — 5th of 12: 13,048
• Belarus — 6th of 12: 7,820

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 17 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 Switzerland

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 101.73% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$507.43 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$554.16 billion (2025)
• Agricultural raw materials imports (% of merchandise imports) — 0.38% (2025)
• Food imports (% of merchandise imports) — 4.09% (2025)
• Fuel imports (% of merchandise imports) — 2.48% (2025)
• Manufactures imports (% of merchandise imports) — 50.86% (2025)
• Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports) — 2.29% (2025)
• Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports)

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 Switzerland's new businesses registered (number)?

18,034 in 2022, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2006?

It is down 7.38% from 19,471 in 2006 (0.48% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 26,347 in 2019 and the lowest 15,053 in 2020.

How does Switzerland rank?

3rd highest of 12 economies with data for 2022.

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

In 2022, Switzerland's new businesses registered (number) rose 10.2% on 2021 (from 16,362 to 18,034). Across the 15 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2021), the average change was −0.2% and a typical year strayed about 12.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

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.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.