Currently, 405,963 active business entities are registered in the Republic of Serbia. The number of active business entities increased by 15,077 compared to the end of 2019. In the last 10 years, it has increased by 73,531 entities.
Since the beginning of the year, due to the health crisis caused by the coronavirus and the lockdown, the number of individuals who started a business, as well as of those who were removed from the Register of Business Entities, has been lower compared to the same period last year.
Despite the unfavourable business conditions, the positive trend in the area of starting a business has been maintained, given that 8,212 more business entities were established than dissolved.
Since the beginning of the year, 24,872 business entities have been founded, while 31,414 entities were incorporated in the same period last year.
Specifically, 6,092 companies were established over eight months this year, i.e. 1.5% less than in the same period last year; 18,780 sole proprietors were founded during the same period, i.e. 34.3% less than last year.
The fewest number of business entities (864) were incorporated in April, during the lockdown, while the largest number of companies (5,365) were established in June. In August, 700 companies and 2,588 sole proprietors were founded.
Observed by the registered economic activity, majority of the newly-established companies are registered for “Computer programming” (700) and “Non-specialized wholesale trade” (590). When it comes to the newly-established sole proprietors, most of them are registered for “Restaurants and mobile food services” (1,197), “Hairdressing and other beauty treatments” (862), “Business and other management consultancy activities” (796), “Freight transport by road” (757) etc.
In eight months, 16,660 business entities were struck off the Register of Business Entities, which is 2.4 times less than in the same period last year, when 40,516 entities were removed from the Business Entities Register.
Over eight months of this year, 2,450 companies were struck off. In the same period last year, 25,402 companies were removed from the Register, of which about 23,000 companies were struck off ex officio, following the forced liquidation procedure, mostly due to failure to submit financial reports.
In eight months, 14,210 sole proprietors were struck off the Register of Business Entities, or 6.3% less than in the same period last year.
The largest number of sole proprietors, who have suffered extremely difficult conditions for doing business this year, have decided to temporary suspend their entrepreneurial activity rather than to terminate operations, and thus, they have qualified for the state aid, while reducing the costs of business and dismissal of workers. In the January – August period, 29,438 entities temporary suspended their entrepreneurial activities, while 12,373 entities registered continuation of their operations.
The lowest number of business entities (386) was struck off in April, and the largest number (2,789) of them was removed from the Register in January. In August, 426 companies and 1,960 sole proprietors were struck off the Register of Business Entities.
Among the companies that were removed from the Register, most were registered for “Non-specialized wholesale trade” (279) and “Business and other management consultancy activities” (141). Among the struck off sole proprietors, most were registered for “Computer programming” (1,185), “Restaurants and mobile food services” (830), for “Business and other management consultancy activities” (629), “Taxi operation” (624), “Beverage serving activities” (568), for “Retail trade in non-specialized stores”, mainly of food, beverages and tobacco (521) etc.