New business density in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): New business density was 1.86 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 in 2022. ▲ Rising
New business density in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 2011–2022
Source: Entrepreneurship Database, World Bank (WB). Measured in new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64.
Analysis
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) recorded 1.86 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 for new business density in 2022. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
The figure is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 42.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, new business density in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 1.86 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.12 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64, in 2011.
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 26th of 45 groups on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
New business density in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1.12 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | — |
| 2012 | 1.31 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +17.1% |
| 2013 | 1.19 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -9.2% |
| 2014 | 1.12 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | -5.7% |
| 2015 | 1.36 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +21.4% |
| 2016 | 1.4 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +3.2% |
| 2017 | 1.41 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 1.46 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 1.58 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +8.1% |
| 2020 | 1.68 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +6.7% |
| 2021 | 1.81 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +7.2% |
| 2022 | 1.86 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | +3.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 1.33 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 1.12 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 1.58 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 9 |
| 2020s | 1.78 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 1.68 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 1.86 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 | 3 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- 23 Iceland 10.86 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 24 Bulgaria 10.46 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 25 Chile 9.09 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 26 Malta 8.47 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 27 Kosovo 8.35 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 27 Kosovo (UNSCR 1244) 8.35 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
- 29 Norway 8.32 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 compare
More private sector data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Merchandise trade 44.5% (2025)
- Food imports 12.1% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 56.8% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 499.63 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 14.5% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 19.4% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 486.25 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 367.94 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2201 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 11.25 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is new business density in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- New business density in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 1.86 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 in 2022, according to Entrepreneurship Database, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest new business density recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 1.86 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 in 2022.
- What is the lowest new business density recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.12 new registrations per 1,000 people ages 15-64 in 2011.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for new business density?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 26th out of 45 groups with data for 2022.
- Is new business density rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is up 42.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 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 — 12 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.