TOP 10 Countries by Business Birth Rate (2025)
Eurostat Business Birth Rate Ranking: 2025 Snapshot of 2023 Data
Lithuania ranks first in Eurostat’s 2025 enterprise birth-rate comparison with a 2023 rate of 19.6% of active enterprises. Malta follows at 17.1% and Portugal at 16.8%. These are official 2023 observations published in the October 2025 Eurostat snapshot, not business birth rates measured during 2025.
The ranking covers the 30 countries displayed in Eurostat’s comparison: all 27 EU member states plus Iceland, North Macedonia and Serbia. It is therefore a Top 10 within this defined Eurostat universe rather than a worldwide ranking.
Metric: enterprise birth rate. Unit: percent of active enterprises. Direction: higher rate ranks higher. The table is a compiled research dataset based on 6 official Eurostat sources, with row-level source and method notes shown in the ranking table. Status counts: 10 official_value, 0 calculated_value, 0 official_forecast and 0 modeled_projection.
Lithuania leads the 30-country Eurostat comparison.
Austria has the lowest enterprise birth rate in the same 30-country source table.
The ranking universe contains 27 EU countries, Iceland, North Macedonia and Serbia.
October 2025 publication snapshot; statistical reference year 2023.
All ranked percentages were directly published by Eurostat; no country value is modeled or projected.
What enterprise birth rate measures
Eurostat defines the enterprise birth rate as the number of enterprise births in a reference period divided by the number of enterprises active in that same period. It measures new-enterprise formation relative to the active enterprise population rather than the absolute number of new firms.
An enterprise birth involves a new combination of production factors without another enterprise being involved. Entries caused only by mergers, break-ups, split-offs, restructuring or a change of activity are excluded. Reactivation of a dormant enterprise within two years is also not counted as a birth.
The covered business economy comprises NACE Rev. 2 sections B–N and P–R plus divisions S95 and S96, including industry, construction, distributive trades and services.
Data revisions: the ranking retains the values published in the 2025 snapshot. Later Eurostat releases have revised some 2023 observations, so current Eurostat values can differ from the historical rates shown here.
Top 5 enterprise birth rates at a glance
Lithuania leads at 19.6%, 2.5 percentage points above Malta. Portugal is third at 16.8%, followed by Estonia at 14.3% and France at 14.0%.
Top 5 from the 30-country Eurostat comparison, reference year 2023
| Rank | Country | Birth rate | Source / Method Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lithuania | 19.6% | Eurostat Table 4; reference year 2023; fixed 2025 publication snapshot; directly published rate. official_value |
| 2 | Malta | 17.1% | Eurostat Table 4; reference year 2023; fixed 2025 publication snapshot; directly published rate. official_value |
| 3 | Portugal | 16.8% | Eurostat Table 4; reference year 2023; fixed 2025 publication snapshot; directly published rate. official_value |
| 4 | Estonia | 14.3% | Eurostat Table 4; reference year 2023; fixed 2025 publication snapshot; directly published rate. official_value |
| 5 | France | 14.0% | Eurostat Table 4; reference year 2023; fixed 2025 publication snapshot; directly published rate. official_value |
Chart: Top 10 enterprise birth rates
Bar lengths use the same raw percentages as the ranking table and are scaled to Lithuania’s 19.6% rate.
Methodology
This compiled research dataset combines Eurostat’s published Table 4 values, Figure 3 comparison universe, business-demography metadata and publication records. Exact country rates come from Table 4; Figure 3 is used to confirm the 30-country comparison universe. Values are sorted from highest to lowest.
Metric and formula
Enterprise birth rate = enterprise births during the reference period ÷ enterprises active during the same period × 100. Eurostat publishes the resulting percentages directly.
Unit and direction
Unit: percent of active enterprises. Direction: descending. Rank is based on the published percentage, not a rounded value calculated by this ranking.
Comparison universe
Figure 3 displays the EU aggregate and 30 countries: the 27 EU member states plus Iceland, North Macedonia and Serbia. The EU aggregate is excluded from the country ranking.
Exact row values
Table 4 publishes the one-decimal enterprise birth rates used to sort all 30 countries. The Top 10 is derived by ordering those official published values from highest to lowest.
Economic scope
The business economy covers NACE Rev. 2 sections B–N and P–R plus divisions S95 and S96: industry, construction, distributive trades and services.
Enterprise birth definition
Births exclude entries caused only by mergers, break-ups, split-offs, restructuring or changes of activity. Reactivation within two years is not treated as a new enterprise birth.
Cross-country limits
Eurostat uses a harmonised framework, but national business-register coverage and administrative sources can differ. Registration or VAT thresholds can also affect coverage in some countries.
Later revisions
Later Eurostat releases have revised some 2023 values. For example, the 2026 edition reports Malta at 17.2% and Portugal at 16.9%, versus 17.1% and 16.8% in the 2025 snapshot retained here.
Inclusion and conflict rule: a country is included only if it appears in the defined 30-country comparison and has an official published birth rate. Later revisions are not averaged with the historical values; the October 2025 publication snapshot is retained consistently across all ranked rows.
Status and ties: all 10 rows are official_value. No calculated country rates, forecasts or modeled projections are used. Croatia and Serbia are both published at 12.5%, so they share rank 7; Romania follows at rank 9 under standard competition ranking.
The metric does not measure enterprise survival, productivity, profitability, startup funding, innovation, employment growth, the absolute number of business births or overall business-environment quality.
Main ranking: Top 10 countries by enterprise birth rate
These are the ten highest official rates among the 30 countries in the defined Eurostat comparison. Search and sort controls change only the table view; original ranks and raw values remain unchanged.
Top 10 enterprise birth rates — 2023 reference year, fixed to the 2025 Eurostat publication snapshot
| Rank | Country | Birth rate | Source / Method Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lithuania | 19.6% | Eurostat Table 4; source year 2023; target snapshot 2025; direct published rate. official_value |
| 2 | Malta | 17.1% | Eurostat Table 4; source year 2023; target snapshot 2025; direct published rate. official_value |
| 3 | Portugal | 16.8% | Eurostat Table 4; source year 2023; target snapshot 2025; direct published rate. official_value |
| 4 | Estonia | 14.3% | Eurostat Table 4; source year 2023; target snapshot 2025; direct published rate. official_value |
| 5 | France | 14.0% | Eurostat Table 4; source year 2023; target snapshot 2025; direct published rate. official_value |
| 6 | Latvia | 12.9% | Eurostat Table 4; source year 2023; target snapshot 2025; direct published rate. official_value |
| 7= | Croatia | 12.5% | Eurostat Table 4; source year 2023; target snapshot 2025; tied at the published precision. official_value |
| 7= | Serbia | 12.5% | Eurostat Table 4; source year 2023; target snapshot 2025; tied at the published precision. official_value |
| 9 | Romania | 12.4% | Eurostat Table 4; source year 2023; target snapshot 2025; direct published rate. official_value |
| 10 | Ireland | 11.9% | Eurostat Table 4; source year 2023; target snapshot 2025; direct published rate. official_value |
Exact row values come from Eurostat Table 4. Figure 3 defines the comparison universe. Values are ranked descending without combining the 2025 snapshot with later revisions.
Insights from the Top 10
Key Insight
Lithuania leads at 19.6%, 2.5 percentage points above second-ranked Malta.
Notable Pattern
All three Baltic states are in the first six positions: Lithuania ranks first, Estonia fourth and Latvia sixth.
Source Concentration
Every ranked value uses the same 2023 reference year and the same Eurostat Table 4 definition, reducing year and metric inconsistencies.
Outlier
Croatia and Serbia form the only tie in the Top 10, with both published at 12.5%.
What the ranking means
What the ranking shows
A higher position means enterprise births represented a larger share of the active-enterprise population in 2023. It does not mean the country created the largest absolute number of enterprises.
Comparability limits
Eurostat harmonises the framework, but national registers and administrative coverage can differ. Small gaps between countries should therefore be interpreted cautiously.
Historical versus revised data
The ranking is a documented historical snapshot fixed to the 2025 publication. Later revisions can legitimately produce different values for the same 2023 reference year.
What the rate does not show
A high enterprise birth rate does not by itself establish stronger survival, productivity, financing, job creation or overall business conditions.
Download the TOP 10 Countries by Business Birth Rate (2025) dataset
TOP 10 Countries by Business Birth Rate (2025)
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Download Excel + CSV Data PackFAQ
What is the business birth rate?
Here, business birth rate means Eurostat’s enterprise birth rate: enterprise births in the reference period divided by enterprises active during that same period, expressed as a percentage.
Are these observed 2025 business birth rates?
No. The observations refer to 2023. The 2025 label identifies the Eurostat publication snapshot used for the ranking.
Which country has the highest rate?
Lithuania ranks first in the 2025 Eurostat snapshot with a 2023 enterprise birth rate of 19.6%.
Is this a worldwide Top 10?
No. It ranks the ten highest values among the 30 countries in the defined Eurostat comparison: the 27 EU member states plus Iceland, North Macedonia and Serbia.
Are these official published values?
Yes. All ten percentages are official_value observations published directly by Eurostat. Sorting the values creates the ranking, but no country rate is calculated from separate inputs.
Why do Croatia and Serbia share rank 7?
Both are published at 12.5%. Standard competition ranking therefore gives both countries rank 7 and places Romania, the next distinct value, at rank 9.
Why can newer Eurostat data differ?
Eurostat can revise historical observations. Later releases have already revised some 2023 country rates, while this ranking intentionally retains the values from the 2025 publication snapshot.
Does a high enterprise birth rate mean a better business environment?
No. The indicator measures new-enterprise formation relative to the active enterprise population. It does not directly measure survival, profitability, productivity, financing, regulatory quality or employment growth.
Sources
Eurostat — Structural business statistics overview, Table 4
Primary row-level numeric source. Table 4 publishes the one-decimal 2023 enterprise birth rates used to sort the 30 countries and construct the Top 10.
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/SEPDF/cache/1168.pdf
Eurostat — Business demography statistics, Figure 3
Defines the October 2025 comparison universe: the EU aggregate, 27 EU member states, Iceland, North Macedonia and Serbia. The EU aggregate is excluded from the country ranking.
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/SEPDF/cache/9350.pdf
Eurostat — More businesses opened than dissolved in the EU in 2023
Official 13 October 2025 release confirming the publication snapshot, the 2023 reference year and the leading rates for Lithuania, Malta and Portugal.
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20251013-1
Eurostat — Business demography metadata
Methodological source for enterprise births, the two-year reactivation rule, statistical population, business-register sources and cross-country coverage limitations.
Eurostat — Business demography overview
Confirms the business-economy scope: NACE Rev. 2 sections B–N and P–R plus divisions S95 and S96.
Eurostat — Key figures on European business, 2026 edition
Revision check. The later edition reports revised 2023 values for some countries, including Malta at 17.2% and Portugal at 16.9%, supporting the decision to keep this ranking fixed to the 2025 snapshot.
