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Entrepreneurship Database

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Entrepreneurial activity is a pillar of economic growth. For evidence of the economic power of entrepreneurship, we need look no further than the United States, where young firms have been shown to be a more important source of net job creation than incumbent firms. The Entrepreneurship Database is a critical source of data that facilitates the measurement of entrepreneurial activity across countries and over time. The data also allow for a deeper understanding of the relationship between new firm registration, the regulatory environment, and economic growth. Previous research using the Entrepreneurship Database has shown a significant relationship between the cost of compliance required to start a business and new firm registration. This also applies to gender. The Database shows the regulatory environment - as measured by Women, Business and the Law - has an impact on the number of female entrepreneurs.

Data from 180 economies on the number of formally registered firms over the period 2006-2022 can help answer questions regarding trends in firm creation, the relationship between entrepreneurship and the business environment, and the relation between gender and entrepreneurship. Additional data on the stock of existing firms and the deregistered firms can also bring a new perspective on firm dynamics.

For more details in the research area, please consult:

Women's Entrepreneurship: How to Measure the Gap between New Female and Male Entrepreneurs?

SmartLesson: Entrepreneurship around the world—before, during, and after the crisis

The impact of the financial crisis on new firm registration

The impact of business environment reforms on new firm registration

Entrepreneurship Snapshots 2010: Measuring the impact of the financial crisis on new business registration

Viewpoint: Entrepreneurship Database 2012 -- Entrepreneurship in the wake of the crisis

Viewpoint: Registration reforms -- Measuring the effect on new firm creation

Women, Business and the Law