New business density in Latin America & Caribbean
Latin America & Caribbean: New business density was 3.68 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 in 2024. ▲ Rising
New business density in Latin America & Caribbean, 2006–2024
Source: Entrepreneurship Database, World Bank (WB). Measured in new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64.
Analysis
The most recent figure for new business density in Latin America & Caribbean is 3.68 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 19 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 79.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, new business density in Latin America & Caribbean peaked at 3.68 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1.54 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64, in 2006.
That places Latin America & Caribbean 19th out of 45 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
New business density in Latin America & Caribbean, year by year
| Year | new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 1.54 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | — |
| 2007 | 1.71 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +11.0% |
| 2008 | 1.88 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +9.7% |
| 2009 | 1.86 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 1.95 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +5.0% |
| 2011 | 2.06 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +5.2% |
| 2012 | 2 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 2.1 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 2.05 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 2.02 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 2.03 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 2.22 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +9.3% |
| 2018 | 2.36 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +6.6% |
| 2019 | 2.59 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +9.6% |
| 2020 | 2.69 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 3.5 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +30.5% |
| 2022 | 3.42 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -2.4% |
| 2023 | 3.55 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +3.8% |
| 2024 | 3.68 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +3.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1.75 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 1.54 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 1.88 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 4 |
| 2010s | 2.14 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 1.95 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 2.59 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.37 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 2.69 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 3.68 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Latin America & Caribbean
- 16 Croatia 15.21 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 17 Mauritius 13.98 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 18 Botswana 13.33 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 19 Belize 13.01 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 20 Singapore 11.59 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 21 South Africa 11.46 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 22 Portugal 11 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
More private sector data for Latin America & Caribbean
- Merchandise trade 44.2% (2025)
- Food imports 9.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 73.2% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 1.66 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 24.7% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 46.5% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 1.67 trillion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 2,503 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2256 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 6.02 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is new business density in Latin America & Caribbean?
- New business density in Latin America & Caribbean was 3.68 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 in 2024, according to Entrepreneurship Database, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest new business density recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The highest recorded value was 3.68 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 in 2024.
- What is the lowest new business density recorded in Latin America & Caribbean?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.54 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 in 2006.
- How does Latin America & Caribbean rank for new business density?
- Latin America & Caribbean ranks 19th out of 45 groups with data for 2024.
- Is new business density rising or falling in Latin America & Caribbean?
- Over the last ten years it is up 79.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latin America & Caribbean data come from?
- The figures come from Entrepreneurship Database, World Bank (WB), published as part of New business density (new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The number of newly registered firms with limited liability per 1,000 working-age people (ages 15-64) per calendar year.