106 Business Statistics For 2025 (Updated Data)

The global business market continues to expand, with over 358.7 million businesses worldwide.

Small businesses are a key driver of this growth, with 33.3 million small enterprises in the U.S. making up 99.9% of all businesses.

Let’s explore the latest statistics about the number of businesses worldwide and the latest facts and figures about the companies and small businesses worldwide in this article. 

Business Statistics 2025 (Top Picks)

  • There are 358.7 million businesses globally.
  • The United States has 33.3 million small businesses, which make up 99.9% of the country’s businesses.
  • 20% of small businesses are at a high risk of failing within the first year of their establishment. 
  • $2000 to $5000 is the average cost required to start a small business in the initial years. 
  • It was reported that the average earning by small business employees each year is $45,857. 

How Many Businesses Are There?

There are 358.7 million businesses worldwide.

That’s a 3.29% increase in the number of businesses worldwide compared to the 347.29 million recorded in 2022. 

Number Of Businesses Over The Years

Here is a table displaying the number of businesses over the years: 

YearNumber of Companies
2023358.7 million
2022347.29 million
2021333.34 million
2020328.14 million
2019328.83 million
2018322.81 million
2017314.4 million
2016306.27 million

Source: Statista

General Business Statistics

Businesses have helped in the growth of the economy of the nations. Many new small businesses have grown over the years and are running successfully. Let us take a look at the general statistics related to small businesses and other statistics related to them. 

  • 99.9% of the business in the US are small
  • More than 50% of the owners are over the age of 55.
  • 66% of the small business owners reported that they started their small businesses to be their own bosses. 
  • 82% of small businesses were reported to survive just one year, while 50% of them were observed to survive five years, and just 35% of them were able to survive ten years.
  • In the year 2022, 32.5 small businesses were recorded in the US. 
  • 64% of the new jobs annually are created by small businesses every year and have created 1.5 million jobs in the United States. 
  • More than 65% of the businesses were profitable in the year 2022. 
  • 64% of the small businesses stated that they started with $10,000. 
  • 90% of the companies around the globe are small businesses and account for 50% of the jobs. 
  • There are 400 million small businesses around the globe. 
  • The number of small businesses in the US has doubled since the year 1982.
  • Small businesses generate 44% of the US economy.
  • From the past 25 years, Small businesses have been responsible for every 2 out of 3 jobs created.  
  • 17.7% of small businesses in the US are owned by minorities.
  • 41% of the non-employer small businesses in the U.S. are owned by Women.
  • 40.6% of the small business wonders in the US are Republicans, while 21.9% are democrats. 
  • More than 15 million Americans work full-time for their own businesses.
  • 19% of the business owners reported that they work more than 60 hours a week on their business to make it a success. 
  • It was reported that 16.3% of the Americas are over 65 years of age. 
  • There are around 400 million small businesses around the world. 
  1. 600 million jobs must be created by the year 2030 to support the growing global workforce. 
  2. Small businesses are less likely to get bank loans as compared to larger firms. 

Sources: Statista, Semrush, Fundera, Zen business, McKinsey.

Small Business Industries 

Small businesses have flourished in different industries throughout the world. The most contribution of small businesses was seen in the sector of food and restaurants. Let us take a look at the stats related to the small business related to the industry and their contribution to the industry. 

  • 12% of Small businesses are from the food and restaurant industry.
Percentage Of Industries Owned By Small Businesses

Here is a table that indicates the percentage of industries owned by small businesses:

IndustryPercentage Of Small Business
Food and Restaurants12%
Retail11%
Business Services11%
Health, Beauty and Fitness9%
Residential and commercial services7%
  • 56% of small businesses reported that they struggle to find loyal employees. 
  • 63% of the small businesses had to increase employee compensation. 
  • 84% of the Entrepreneurs in the small business industry reported that they had to work overtime. 
  • There are 81% of the small businesses in the industry have no employees. 
  • It was found that flexibility is the reason to motivate approximately 29% of small business owners. 
  • The small businesses that use external accountants from the industry account for up to only 30% of the small businesses. 
  • 31% of the small businesses reported that they put CRM systems as the top priority of their tech requirements. 

Sources: Scalable, Semrush, Embroker, Statista.

Small Business Trends

New trends in small businesses have changed the industry of small businesses. The small business industry has grown considerably and contributed to various industries. Here are a few stats related to the small business trends that affect the market.  

  • 56% of owners reported that digitalization is very expensive for small businesses. 
  • 70 -80% of the small businesses globally lost between 30 to 50% of their revenue during covid-19.
  • 15.1% of the small businesses in the year 2022 were reported to be retail. 
  • More than 50% of the businesses plan to increase their staff in the year 2022.
  • According to  92% of the owners, the website is the most effective strategy for digital marketing
  • 31% of the owners reported that sales are their top marketing goal. 
  • 47% of small business owners reported that they run marketing entirely on their own. 
  • 50% of small businesses are reported to be operated from home. 
  • 91% of the consumer support small businesses when they find it convenient and affordable. 
  • 28% of data breaches occur due to small businesses.
  1. 65% of the investors reported that they are more likely to invest in startups involving technologies like AI.
  2. 39% of the business owners reported that they are very happy with their work and small business. 
  3. 92% of small business owners reported that they don’t regret starting their business. 

Sources: Semrush, Statista, US small Business Administration, Forbes. 

Small Business Revenue

The revenue generated by small businesses contributes to the development of the country. The revenue generated by small businesses is the factor that contributes the most to decision-making while starting your own business.

Let us take a look at all the statistics related to the revenue generated by small businesses. 

  • 27% of the small business estimated that their annual sales in the year 2020 would exceed $200,000. 
  • The average annual sales for the small business without any employees was $46,978.
  • 45% of the non-employers had a revenue that was less than $25,000. 
  • More than 86% of the owners take a yearly salary that is less than $100,000. 
  • 65% of the entrepreneur reported that they don’t think they have enough cash to start a business. 
  • Around 34% of the businesses started with less than $5,000.

Sources: Semrush, Statista, Guidant Financial, US small Business Administration, 

Small Business Success And Failure Statistics

  • 65.3% of the small businesses are profitable as of record in the year 2022.
  • More than $1 million is made by 9% of small businesses. 
  • 77% of small business owners reported that they feel optimistic about the future of their business. 
  • The healthcare businesses and the social assistance businesses have the highest survival rates as compared to that the other industries. 
  • 62% of small business owners reported that their businesses are in good health, while 30% of the owners reported that their business is in very good health. 
  • 20% of businesses fail within the first year of establishment. 
  • 70% of businesses fail before completing 10 years in the industry. 
  • More than 50% of small businesses fail within the first five years of establishment. 
Failure Rates Of The Businesses

The following table indicates the failure rates of the businesses after the years of establishment:

Years in BusinessesFailure Rate
1 year20%
2 years30%
3 years50%
4 years70%
  • 82% of the businesses claimed that the reason for their failure was the lack of proper cash flow. 
  • 42% of the businesses reported that the reason for their failure was the lack of demand for their products in society and industry. 

Here are the reasons for the failure of small businesses, as reported by business owners. 

Reason For FailureBusinesses Failed
Poor marketing14%
Poor product offering17%
Being outcompeted19%
Lack of talent23%
No market need for their products40%
Cash flow issues82%
  • 23% of small businesses fail because they lack the right team and the right support.
  • 46% of small businesses are clear about their marketing strategies and if they are working.
  • 66% of small businesses encounter financial challenges. 

Sources: Semrush, Statista, US Small Business Administration, Fundera, Guidant Financial. 

Small Business Finance Statistics

  • In the United States, the average amount of loans taken by small businesses was equivalent to $71,072.
  • 77% of the small businesses in the US reported that they use business earnings as their primary source of funding. 
  • In the year 2020, 73% of the small employer forum reported that they received financial assistance from the Paycheck protection program. 
  • The most approved loan for small businesses was auto or equipment loan applications. 

The following table indicates the number of loans approved. 

Loan TypeApproval Rate
Auto or equipment loan79%
Merchant cash advance84%
A business line of credit71%
SBA loan or line of credit65%
Business loan57%
Personal loan43%
  • 35% of the Businesses with low credit scores reported that they took help from online lenders and while 23% of them took help from non-bank finance companies. 
  • 11% of the business owners reported that they had higher credit scores and were allowed to submit loan applications to online lenders, and 11% of them submitted them to finance companies. 
  • In the year 2021, 39% of business owners utilized cash for financing.

The following table includes details about the most popular financing methods for small businesses. 

Financing Method Percentage Of Small Business Owners
Cash39%
ROBS20%
Family, and friends10%
SBA Loan9%
Line of credit95
Unsecured Loan5%
Equipment Lease3%
HELOC3%

Sources: Semrush, Fundera, Statista, US small Business Administration, Oberlo.

Online Small Businesses

Small businesses have started to open their store online during the pandemic. Most of the sales of the small business were boosted on online platforms.

Here are a few statistics related to online small businesses. 

  • 71% of the small businesses reported that they survived the pandemic through digitalization and starting their products online. 
  • In the next three years, the growth rate of artificial intelligence is projected to reach 310% in the next three years. 
  • 30% of small business firms reported that they plan to use technology to provide customers with automatic recommendations. 
  • Up to 80% of the people reported that they research small businesses and their products before purchasing from them. 
  • 70% of the consumers reported that they support local businesses by shopping online from them or by purchasing from the store. 
  • 42% of the small businesses have developed new digital products, and functions have reported maintaining them even when the pandemic ends. 

Sources: Salesforce, MintLife, Semrush, Fundera, Statista, US small Business Administration. 

Challenges For Small Businesses 

Starting a new business itself is a great challenge. While business owners carry out sales and marketing, they face a lot of challenges and issues. Let us take a look at the statistics related to the challenges that small business owners face. 

  • 67.8% of small business owners in the US reported that they were affected negatively by the covid-19 pandemic. 

Here are the other impacts of covid-19 on small businesses. 

Impacts On BusinessPercentage Impact On Small Businesses
Loss of revenue23%
Reduced budget11%
Temporary closure11%
Cut own wages10%
Temporary pivot7%
  • 44.9% of small businesses experienced moderate negative effects on their small business. 
  • 67.6% of the new businesses were reported to survive at least two years, while 25.7 businesses reported having survived at least 15 years. 
  • It was reported that 43% of the cyber-attacks targeted small businesses. 

Sources: Semrush, Statista, Fundera, Oberlo.

Conclusion: The Number Of Businesses Worldwide Is 358.7 Million 

The global number of businesses has seen rapid growth in recent years, now surpassing 358.7 million, with a significant portion based in the United States. 

A growing number of these businesses are adopting AI to streamline processes and handle larger volumes of data. 

As we look to the future, further innovations in the business landscape are likely to contribute to continued growth in the global business count.

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