10 September Belstat reported positive trends in the development of Belarusian business. Active enterprises show steady growth both in the number of organizations and in quality indicators.

For the first time, data on individual entrepreneurs have been included in business demography statistics. This expanded information about the state of entrepreneurship in the country.

Total number of active enterprises and individual entrepreneurs in 2025: 268,619.

Legal entities: stable growth of 4.4%

The number of active enterprises—legal entities of the commercial sector—continues to rise.

“The number of active enterprises—legal entities that are commercial organizations—continues to grow. In 2025 it amounted to 116,790, which is 4.4% higher than the previous year,” said Belstat.

Thus, growth rates remain stable and positive.

Trade dominates

The largest share of active organizations belongs to trade—33.3%.

Therefore, the retail and wholesale sector remains the backbone of the Belarusian economy. At the same time

Gazelle enterprises (young fast‑growing): 168 (plus 3.1%)

Mouse enterprises (small fast‑growing): 1,107 (plus 16.9%)

Moreover, mice grow faster in percentage terms, indicating the emergence of new powerful players from the small segment.

Individual entrepreneurs: 151,829 active

Gender balance with an age skew

Active enterprises in the form of individual entrepreneurs show the following gender distribution:

men: 63.5%

women: 36.5%

Thus, men constitute the majority.

Average age:

men entrepreneurs: 44 years

women entrepreneurs: 48 years

At the same time, women entrepreneurs are on average 4 years older, which may indicate different entry trajectories into entrepreneurship.

Trade also leads here

The largest share of individual entrepreneurs is in trade — 36.6%.

Therefore, the retail segment attracts both legal entities and individual entrepreneurs.

Gender division by sectors

When choosing a field of activity, clear gender differences remain.

Men dominate in:

construction: 95.8%

transport: 88.1%

agriculture: 84%

Women prefer:

healthcare: 81.4%

education: 73.9%

professional, scientific and technical activities: 53.8%

Thus, traditional gender preferences in choosing