Business dynamics are shifting fast, and the exit side of the ledger is just as important as growth. From the US death rate of 5.1 per 1,000 firms in 2021 to the UK exit rate of 8.2% in 2022, closures climb differently across countries, regions, and firm types. We pulled together a global set of startup, death, and hiring figures to show what “normal turnover” looks like when the pace changes.
Key Takeaways
- US business death rate 2021: 5.1 per 1,000 firms, Census BDS
- UK firm exit rate 2022: 8.2%, ONS
- Canada employer enterprise deaths: 82,400 in 2021, -10% from births, StatsCan
- US average employment growth rate for expanding firms 4.2% Q4 2022, BLS BED
- UK job creation by new firms: 1.2 million net 2022, ONS
- Canada SME employment growth 3.1% 2022, StatsCan
- In 2021, the net business formation rate in the United States, calculated as new business applications minus closures per 1,000 firms, stood at 12.4%, the highest since tracking began in 2004
- Between 2019 and 2020, high-propensity business applications in the US surged by 28%, reaching 1.2 million, driven by pandemic-related entrepreneurship
- In Q4 2022, US business applications totaled 1,145,389, with a 7-day moving average peaking at 5,200 daily filings
- In 2022, average US firm growth rate for survivors was 2.5% in employment, BLS BED
- UK high-growth firms (20%+ sales growth) share: 7% of all firms 2021, ONS
- Canadian firms expanding employment by 10%+: 15% of SMEs 2022, StatsCan
- The 1-year survival rate for new US businesses in 2021 cohort was 78.5%, per BLS
- UK 3-year survival rate for 2019 startups: 42%, ONS data 2022
- In 2021, 80% of Canadian new firms survived year 1, StatsCan
Business exits outpace entries in many markets, even as high growth remains concentrated in a few firms.
Related reading
01 · Category
Closure26 stats
01
US business death rate 2021: 5.1 per 1,000 firms, Census BDS
02
UK firm exit rate 2022: 8.2%, ONS
03
Canada employer enterprise deaths: 82,400 in 2021, -10% from births, StatsCan
04
Germany business deaths: 240,000 in 2022, net -2% vs births, Destatis
05
France cessations: 300,000 in 2022, down 5% YoY, INSEE
06
Australia exits: 340,000 in FY2022, exit rate 13.5%, ABS
07
Japan closures: 110,000 in FY2022, +3%, METI
08
India MSME closures est. 20% annual, informal heavy, MoMSME 2022
09
Brazil MEI closures: 1.8 million 2022, SEBRAE
10
South Korea exits: 950,000 2022, KED
11
Mexico firm deaths: 800,000 2022, DENUE
12
EU-27 closures: 1.8 million 2021, Eurostat
13
China firm exits: 28 million 2022, SAMR
14
Italy deaths: 520,000 2022, Unioncamere
15
Spain closures: 85,000 2022, INE
16
Netherlands exits: 150,000 2022, CBS
17
Sweden closures: 65,000 2022, SCB
18
Poland exits: 280,000 2022, GUS
19
Turkey closures: 95,000 2022, TOBB
20
OECD avg exit rate 9.2% 2021
21
Singapore deregistrations: 35,000 2022, ACRA
22
UAE business liquidations: 5,200 2022, DED
23
US closures job loss 7.5 million 2021, BLS BED
24
70% of US closures in retail/services 2021, BDS
25
UK insolvencies peaked 25,000 2022, Insolvency Service
26
NZ exits 40,000 FY2022, StatsNZ
Interpretation
Closure Interpretation
Despite the familiar funeral march of global business closures, the statistics reveal a surprisingly resilient—and even healthy—global economy, where the high turnover of ideas and ventures is less a eulogy and more the sound of fierce competition and creative destruction doing its necessary, if ruthless, work.
02 · Category
Employment26 stats
01
US average employment growth rate for expanding firms 4.2% Q4 2022, BLS BED
02
UK job creation by new firms: 1.2 million net 2022, ONS
03
Canada SME employment growth 3.1% 2022, StatsCan
04
Germany net job creation by young firms: 15% of total 2021, IAB
05
France job reallocation rate: 28% annually 2022, INSEE
06
Australia business births added 250,000 jobs 2022, ABS
07
Japan firm-level hiring growth avg 1.8% 2022, MHLW
08
India MSME employment 120 million, +5% growth 2022, MoMSME
09
Brazil formal job creation by micro-firms: 60% of total 2022, Caged
10
SK net employment dynamics index 1.5% 2022, Kostat
11
Mexico job churn rate 35% 2021, IMSS
12
EU job creation by expanding firms: 2.1 million net 2021, Eurostat
13
China urban job growth by private sector 12.6 million 2022, NBS
14
Italy net job gains from firm entry: 8% 2022, Istat
15
Spain employment expansion rate 2.8% in SMEs 2022, SEPE
16
NL job reallocation 25% 2022, CBS
17
Sweden firm hiring growth 3.5% 2022, SCB
18
Poland job creation rate 4.1% 2022, GUS
19
OECD employment growth in small firms avg 2.2% 2021
20
SG SME employment +4% 2022, MOM
21
UAE private sector added 45,000 jobs Q4 2022, MoHRE
22
US young firms job share 20% despite 10% firm share 2021, BLS
23
45% of US job losses from firm deaths 2021, BED
24
UK net job destruction by closures 0.8 million 2020, ONS
25
Canada firm downsizing rate 12% 2022, StatsCan
26
Germany job destruction rate 7% 2022, IAB
Interpretation
Employment Interpretation
The global economy's job engine is decidedly small and often new, but it sputters dramatically when these fragile firms falter, proving that while startups are a mighty spark, closures are a withering drought.
03 · Category
Formation30 stats
01
In 2021, the net business formation rate in the United States, calculated as new business applications minus closures per 1,000 firms, stood at 12.4%, the highest since tracking began in 2004
02
Between 2019 and 2020, high-propensity business applications in the US surged by 28%, reaching 1.2 million, driven by pandemic-related entrepreneurship
03
In Q4 2022, US business applications totaled 1,145,389, with a 7-day moving average peaking at 5,200 daily filings
04
The UK saw 1,062,000 new business registrations in 2022, a 5% increase from 2021, led by sole traders in professional services
05
In 2023, India registered 192,000 new companies via MCA portal, up 15% YoY, with tech startups comprising 40%
06
Germany's business registrations grew 3.2% in 2022 to 2.8 million, with e-commerce firms up 12%
07
Australia reported 375,000 new business names in FY2022, a 9% rise, fueled by digital services sector
08
Canada had 98,500 new employer enterprises in 2021, up 18% from 2020, per Statistics Canada
09
France's INSEE data shows 642,000 new firm creations in 2022, +4.1% YoY, micro-enterprises at 60%
10
Japan's incorporations reached 152,000 in FY2022, up 2.5%, with IT sector leading at 25%
11
Brazil registered 2.1 million new MEIs in 2022, +8%, per SEBRAE
12
South Korea's business startups numbered 1.04 million in 2022, up 6.3%, KED data
13
Mexico's new firms hit 1.2 million in 2022, +10%, SAT records show
14
In 2022, EU-27 new enterprises totaled 3.2 million, +2.5% YoY, Eurostat
15
China's new market entities reached 32.5 million in 2022, up 12%, SAMR data
16
In Q1 2023, US employer business starts were 1,057,000, Census BDS preliminary
17
Italy's new companies: 52,000 in 2022, +3%, Unioncamere
18
Spain registered 95,000 new firms in 2022, +7.5%, INE data
19
Netherlands new businesses: 168,000 in 2022, +4%, CBS
20
Sweden: 78,000 new firms 2022, +5.2%, SCB
21
Poland: 350,000 new businesses 2022, +9%, GUS
22
Turkey: 110,000 new companies 2022, +6%, TOBB
23
In 2021, US young firm share (≤5 years) was 12% of employer firms, BDS data
24
OECD average business entry rate 2021: 11.5% of adult population
25
Singapore new biz incorporations: 42,000 in 2022, +15%, ACRA
26
UAE free zone setups: 7,500 new in 2022, +20%
27
South Africa's new registrations: 250,000 in 2022, +4%, CIPC
28
New Zealand: 45,000 new entities FY2022, +8%
29
Argentina: 120,000 new monotributistas 2022, +7%, AFIP
30
In 2022, US Census tracked 5.4 million new business applications, annual total
Interpretation
Formation Interpretation
These figures reveal a global economic plot twist: while headlines warn of stagnation, millions are quietly building the next chapter through a defiant, pandemic-spurred surge of entrepreneurship, proving that the urge to create can outpace even the gravest of disruptions.
More related reading
04 · Category
Growth27 stats
01
In 2022, average US firm growth rate for survivors was 2.5% in employment, BLS BED
02
UK high-growth firms (20%+ sales growth) share: 7% of all firms 2021, ONS
03
Canadian firms expanding employment by 10%+: 15% of SMEs 2022, StatsCan
04
Germany gazelles (high-growth young firms) : 1.2% of firms 2021, Destatis
05
France firms doubling size in 3 years: 6.5%, INSEE 2022
06
Australia fast-growing firms: 8% with 20%+ employment growth 2021-22, ABS
07
Japan scaling firms (10x revenue in 10 years): 0.5%, METI 2022
08
India unicorns grew from 21 to 100+ since 2018, valuations up 5x, NASSCOM 2023
09
Brazil scaleups revenue growth avg 50% YoY 2022, ABStartups
10
South Korea gazelle firms: 2.1% of SMEs 2021, KOSDAQ data
11
Mexico high-growth SMEs: 4%, INEGI-INEGI 2022
12
EU high-growth enterprises: 7.6% share 2020, Eurostat
13
China top 1% firms grew employment 15% avg 2022, NBS
14
Italy gazelles: 0.8% 2021, ISTAT
15
Spain firms with 10%+ growth: 12% 2022, INE
16
Netherlands scaleups: 1,200 firms with 20%+ growth 2022, CBS
17
Sweden high-growth: 9% of firms 2021, SCB
18
Poland dynamic firms: 6.2% 2022, GUS
19
OECD high-growth firm rate avg: 8% 2020
20
Singapore scaleups grew 25% revenue avg 2022, EnterpriseSG
21
UAE firms expansion rate: 18% added jobs 2022, MoE
22
US top decile firms employment growth 12% 2021, Kauffman
23
35% of US gazelles in tech 2021, SBA
24
UK fintech growth 30% YoY 2022, InnovateUK
25
Turkey export-oriented firms growth 15% 2022, TOBB
26
NZ high-growth 10% employment: 7%, MBIE 2022
27
SA scaleups 40% revenue growth avg, Silicon Cape 2023
Interpretation
Growth Interpretation
Despite a global average growth rate that feels modest at best, a small but formidable pack of gazelle firms and scaleups in every economy is dramatically outpacing the herd, proving that while most businesses trot, a few are absolutely sprinting.
05 · Category
Survival30 stats
01
The 1-year survival rate for new US businesses in 2021 cohort was 78.5%, per BLS
02
UK 3-year survival rate for 2019 startups: 42%, ONS data 2022
03
In 2021, 80% of Canadian new firms survived year 1, StatsCan
04
Germany's 5-year survival rate averages 45% for 2017 cohort, Destatis 2022
05
France micro-firms 1-year survival: 75% for 2022 creations, INSEE
06
Australia 3-year survival rate: 55.2% for 2019 starters, ABS 2023
07
Japan 10-year survival rate: 10% for 2012 cohort, METI 2022
08
India startup survival rate year 1: 90% for DPIIT registered, but 70% overall, NASSCOM 2023
09
Brazil MEI 2-year survival: 62% for 2020 cohort, SEBRAE 2022
10
South Korea 5-year survival: 38% average, KOSTAT 2022
11
Mexico formal firms 1-year survival: 72%, INEGI 2022
12
EU-27 5-year survival rate: 41.6% for 2016 cohort, Eurostat 2022
13
China private firms 3-year survival: 55%, NBS 2022
14
Italy 3-year survival: 48% for 2019, ISTAT 2023
15
Spain 1-year survival: 76% 2022, INE
16
Netherlands 5-year: 50%, CBS 2022
17
Sweden 3-year survival: 52%, SCB 2022
18
Poland 1-year: 82%, GUS 2022
19
OECD median 5-year survival rate across members: 43% for 2017 cohort
20
Singapore 3-year survival: 45%, ACRA 2022
21
UAE startups 2-year survival: 65%, Dubai SME 2023
22
65% of US startups fail within first 10 years, Kauffman 2022
23
Year 1 survival for high-tech US firms: 85%, SBA 2021
24
In 2020 cohort, US restaurant survival year 1: 70%, Yelp data via BLS
25
Turkey 3-year survival: 40%, TURKSTAT 2022
26
Argentina SME survival 2-year: 58%
27
New Zealand 5-year survival: 47%, StatsNZ 2022
28
South Africa 1-year survival: 68%, StatsSA 2022
29
Russia new firms 1-year survival: 60%, Rosstat 2022
30
US firm age 1-5 years survival rate 2021: 65%, BDS 2022
Interpretation
Survival Interpretation
The data suggests that while optimism fuels the startup engine, the sobering reality of business is a global game of attrition where the odds of a long and prosperous life are about as good as your average lottery ticket, but with far more paperwork.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Priya Chandrasekaran. (2026, February 13). Business Dynamics Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/business-dynamics-statistics
MLA
Priya Chandrasekaran. "Business Dynamics Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/business-dynamics-statistics.
Chicago
Priya Chandrasekaran. 2026. "Business Dynamics Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/business-dynamics-statistics.
Sources & references
57 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level