Information on data
Business demography (BD) statistics provide information on the dynamics of the business economy. They capture how the composition of the enterprise population changes over time.
They also show how the economic contribution of the business economy in terms of employment develops across a number of enterprise characteristics.
BD statistics can be used to answer questions such as:
- How many people are employed in newly born enterprises?
- What role does the size, economic activity or geographical location of enterprises play in its growth trajectory?
- How many high-growth enterprises exist in a specific country/region, and how much do they contribute to employment growth?
- How does the enterprise population change over time?
BD covers 4 major economic activities as defined by the statistical classification of economic activities in the European Community (NACE revision 2):
| Economic activity | NACE sections |
|---|---|
| Industry |
Sections B to E
|
| Construction |
Section F
|
| Trade |
Section G
|
| Services |
Section H: transportation and storage Section I: accommodation and food service Section J: information and communication Section K: financial and insurance activities Section L: real estate activities Section M: professional, scientific, and technical activities Section N: administrative and support service activities Section P: education Section Q: human health and social work activities Section R: arts, entertainment and recreation Division S95: repair of computers and personal and household goods Division S96: other personal service activities |
BD statistics are available for the EU and EU countries, the countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and the EU enlargement countries.
The annual BD data collection covers the following demographic indicators and breakdowns:
| Enterprise population | Indicators | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
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High-growth enterprises are enterprises that are growing fast in terms of number of employees. Specifically, they are defined as enterprises with:
- at least 10 employees at the beginning of their growth
- an average annualised growth in number of employees greater than 10% per annum, over a 3-year period
Eurostat also collects data on young high-growth enterprises (gazelles). These are high-growth enterprises that are 4 and 5 years old at the time of observation. Since 2012, these data were collected on voluntary basis. From reference year 2021 onwards, they are collected based on the European business statistics legislation.
Additional available data
The following data is collected on a voluntary basis:
- high-growth enterprises by turnover: enterprises with an average annualised growth over 3 years in turnover which is greater than 10% per annum
- high-growth micro enterprises by employees: enterprises with 1 to 9 employees in the beginning of their growth and with an increase by more than 3.31 employees in 3 years
Since 2012, data on regional BD are available. They are based on the nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS). From reference year 2021 onwards, the collection of this data is mandatory and has to be transmitted to Eurostat based on the European business statistics legislation.
For more information about the available data, please see the information on available indicators and breakdowns.
From reference year 2021 onwards, BD data are based on the European business statistics legislation. BD data are collected and published annually for nearly all variables.
Data transmission is organised as following:
| Time | Data transmitted |
|---|---|
| T+12 months |
Eurostat receives preliminary data on high-growth enterprises from the national statistical institutes (NSIs) |
| T+13 months |
Eurostat publishes preliminary data, usually in January |
| T+18 months |
|
| T+20 months |
Eurostat receives BD data on employer enterprises, including preliminary data on death of employer enterprises |
| T+22 months |
|
| T+24 months |
Eurostat publishes validated regional level data, usually in December 2 years after the end of the reference year (for example, data for 2020 were released in December 2022) |
| T+30 months |
Eurostat receives final data on enterprise deaths |
| T+32 months |
Eurostat receives final data on enterprise deaths of employer enterprises |
| T+34 months |
Eurostat receives final regional data on enterprise deaths |
There are 2 types of possible revisions:
- revisions of preliminary data, which can occur as soon as final data are published
- exceptional revisions, which can occur due to a change of methodology or a correction of errors. Along with the regular data transmission, some countries might send data for past time periods which were revised. In such cases, Eurostat releases these revised country data and - if revisions are remarkable - also revises EU aggregates. Usually, such revisions happen approximately once per year.
Statistical business registers are the main source for BD statistics. Data comes from the national statistical business registers in the EU, EFTA, and enlargement countries. In practice, most of these national statistical business registers are based on a combination of administrative and statistical sources.
The administrative sources generally include:
- tax registers, for example for value added tax, corporation tax or income tax
- compulsory registration systems, for example for limited liability businesses or those quoted on stock markets
- social security sources
- other public or private sector data holdings.
The statistical sources generally comprise returns from various surveys.
BD does not cover:
- agriculture, forestry, and fishing (NACE section A)
- public administration (NACE section O).