Tonga: New businesses registered (number)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Tonga's new businesses registered (number) rose 31.3% on 2023 (from 32 to 42).

Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2023), the average change was +3.9% and a typical year strayed about 45.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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 122.2% in 2019 and the biggest yearly fall was 73.8% 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 downward, about 4.81 a year. A straight line explains 33% 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, Tonga had the 127th 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 Tonga in the 2024 ranking

• Liberia — 124th of 127: 167
• Brunei Darussalam — 125th of 127: 157
• St. Lucia — 126th of 127: 139

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

• Australia — 316,561 (2024)
• Brunei Darussalam — 157 (2024)
• Cambodia — 5,138 (2024)
• China — 286,640 (2024)
• Fiji — 1,665 (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 145,053 (2024)
• Indonesia — 182,200 (2024)
• Japan — 41,946 (2024)
• Kiribati — 2 (2018)
• Korea, Rep. — 128,455 (2023)
• Lao PDR — 7,941 (2024)

More private sector & trade data for Tonga

• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$255 million (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$13 million (2025)
• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 39.46% (2025)
• Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service imports) — 32.75% (2025)
• Commercial service imports (current US$) — US$169.35 million (2025)
• Transport services (% of commercial service imports) — 24.33% (2025)
• Travel services (% of commercial service imports) — 40.27% (2025)
• Computer, communications and other services (% of commercial service exports) — 11.76% (2025)
• Commercial service exports (current US$) — US$102.8 million (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

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

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

How has it changed since 2006?

It is down 60.75% from 107 in 2006 (5.06% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 144 in 2007 and the lowest 21 in 2020.

How does Tonga rank?

127th highest of 127 economies with data for 2024.

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

In 2024, Tonga's new businesses registered (number) rose 31.3% on 2023 (from 32 to 42). Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2023), the average change was +3.9% and a typical year strayed about 45.6% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 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.

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