On September 10, Belstat reported positive trends in the development of Belarusian business. Active enterprises are showing steady growth both in the number of organizations and in qualitative indicators.

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

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

Legal entities: steady growth of 4.4%

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

“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% more than a year earlier,” Belstat said.

Thus, growth rates remain stable and positive.

Trade dominates

The largest share of active organizations is in trade — 33.3%.

Consequently, the retail and wholesale sector remains the foundation of the Belarusian economy. At the same time, the share of other industries is also increasing.

Business birth rate: 13,799 new entities

In 2025, 13,799 enterprises were created, which is 1.4% more than in 2024.

New organizations were distributed unevenly across industries:

trade: 40.5% (traditional leader)

arts, sports, entertainment, recreation: 24% (highest birth rate)

Moreover, organizations in the creative sector show the highest activity in creating new entities. This indicates the development of an innovative economy.

Survival rate: 77.2% of enterprises survive two years

Active enterprises in Belarus demonstrate good survival rates.

“Belarusian organizations continue to demonstrate good survival rates. The survival rate of enterprises within two years after 'birth' in 2025 was 77.2%, which is 2.2 percentage points more than a year earlier,” Belstat noted.

Thus, more than three-quarters of new enterprises survive the critical two-year period. This is an indicator of a healthy business environment.

Fast-growing enterprises: 1,039 companies on the rise

In 2025, active enterprises with high growth rates showed impressive dynamics.

“In 2025, 1,039 enterprises showed a high growth rate; their number increased by a quarter compared to 2024,” Belstat reported.

Among them, industrial organizations lead (24.1% share).

Gazelles and mice: microcategories of growth

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

Mice enterprises (small fast-growing): 1,107 (plus 16.9%)

Moreover, the “mice” are growing 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 registered as individual entrepreneurs show the following distribution by gender:

men: 63.5%

women: 36.5%

Thus, men constitute the majority.

Average age:

male entrepreneurs: 44 years

female entrepreneurs: 48 years

At the same time, female entrepreneurs are on average 4 years older. This may indicate different trajectories for entering entrepreneurship.

Trade leads here as well

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

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

Gender division by sector

Clear gender differences persist in the choice of business sector.

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 career choice persist in entrepreneurship as well.

Reference: key concepts of business demography

Business demography

This is a branch of statistics that studies demographic processes occurring with legal entities in the commercial sector and individual entrepreneurs.

High-growth enterprise

An organization that over the past three years has shown an average annual growth in the number of employees and turnover of more than 20% per year. The number of employees at the start of growth is at least 10 people.

Gazelle enterprise

An organization “born” 4–5 years ago that over the past three years has shown an average annual growth in the number of employees and turnover of more than 20% per year. The number of employees at the start of growth is at least 10 people.

Mouse enterprise

An organization that over the past three years has shown an average annual growth in the number of employees and turnover of more than 20% per year. The number of employees at the start of growth is from 5 to 10 people.