New business density in New Zealand
New Zealand: New business density was 16.05 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
16.05 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64
Change on year
down 2.4%
World rank
12th
of 177 countries
All-time high
25.06 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64
in 2007
All-time low
14.62 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64
in 2011
Years of data
19
2006–2024
New business density in New Zealand, 2006–2024
Source: Entrepreneurship Database, World Bank (WB). Measured in new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64.
Analysis
In 2024, new business density in New Zealand stood at 16.05 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64.
The figure is down 2.4% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, new business density in New Zealand peaked at 25.06 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 in 2007 and was at its lowest, 14.62 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64, in 2011.
That places New Zealand 12th out of 177 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 19 years of available data.
New business density in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 24.38 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | — |
| 2007 | 25.06 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 18.89 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -24.6% |
| 2009 | 16.94 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -10.3% |
| 2010 | 15.68 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -7.5% |
| 2011 | 14.62 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -6.8% |
| 2012 | 15.16 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +3.7% |
| 2013 | 15.63 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 16.56 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 17.33 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +4.7% |
| 2016 | 18.8 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +8.5% |
| 2017 | 18.33 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -2.5% |
| 2018 | 17.54 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 16.28 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -7.2% |
| 2020 | 17.55 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +7.8% |
| 2021 | 19.47 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +10.9% |
| 2022 | 16.36 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -16.0% |
| 2023 | 16.44 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 16.05 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 21.32 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 16.94 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 25.06 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 4 |
| 2010s | 16.59 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 14.62 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 18.8 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.17 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 16.05 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 19.47 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 9 Saint Kitts and Nevis 18.72 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 10 Australia 18.06 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 11 Montenegro 17.86 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 13 China 15.59 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 14 Liechtenstein 15.57 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 15 Naoero 15.23 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
More private sector data for New Zealand
- Merchandise trade 35.7% (2025)
- Food imports 12.8% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 70.7% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 47.55 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 69.0% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 14.0% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 46.70 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 8,770 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1769 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 10.43 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is new business density in New Zealand?
- New business density in New Zealand was 16.05 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 New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 25.06 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 in 2007.
- What is the lowest new business density recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.62 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 in 2011.
- How does New Zealand rank for new business density?
- New Zealand ranks 12th out of 177 countries with data for 2024.
- Is new business density rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this New Zealand 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.