According to the Business Entities Register data, the number of active business entities registered in the Republic of Serbia at the beginning of 2021 totals to 400,646, of which 121,690 companies and 278,956 sole proprietors.
Compared to the beginning of 2019, the total number of registered business entities increased in 2020 by 9,879 entities.
In 2020, there were 9,176 newly-established companies and 29,810 newly-established sole proprietors. Therefore, there were 19 newly-established companies more in 2020 than in 2019, while the number of newly-established sole proprietors decreased by about 25 percent.
Observed by activities, most companies established in 2020 registered the following activities as their core business activity: Non-specialised wholesale trade; Computer programming activities; Construction of residential and non-residential buildings; Business and other management consultancy activities; Freight transport by road; Restaurants and mobile food service activities; Retail sale via mail order houses or via the Internet; Computer consultancy activities; Engineering activities and related technical consultancy; and Renting and operating of own or leased real estate.
Most sole proprietors established in 2020 registered the following activities as their core business activity: Restaurants and mobile food service activities; Business and other management consultancy activities; Hairdressing and other beauty treatment; Freight transport by road; Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles; Beverage serving activities; Other specialised construction activities not elsewhere classified; Computer programming activities; Engineering activities and related technical consultancy; and Floor and wall covering.
Last year, 7,982 companies and 22,052 sole proprietors were struck off from the Business Entities Register.
5,797 companies were struck off ex officio upon completion of the forced liquidation proceedings. Also, 5,868 sole proprietors were struck off ex officio based on the request of the National Bank of Serbia (NBS), due to the fact that their business accounts were blocked for an uninterrupted period of more than two years.
Just for the sake of comparison, 27,163 companies and 23,593 sole proprietors were struck off in 2019. 24,380 companies were struck off from the Register ex officio after the forced liquidation proceedings, while 5,315 sole proprietors were struck off on the basis of the request of the NBS.
Most of the struck-off companies were registered to perform the following business activities: Non-specialised wholesale trade; Business and other management consultancy activities; Restaurants and mobile food service activities; Construction of residential and non-residential buildings; Freight transport by road; Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating; Computer programming activities; Beverage serving activities; Other retail sale in non-specialised stores; and Sale of cars and light motor vehicles.
Among the struck-off sole proprietors, most were registered to perform the following activities: Computer programming activities; Restaurants and mobile food service activities; Taxi operation; Beverage serving activities; Business and other management consultancy activities; Hairdressing and other beauty treatment; Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating; Freight transport by road; Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles; and Manufacture of other outerwear.
Additional comparative data on this topic is available in the Infographic “Data on Established and Struck-off Business Entities in 2020”.