The following report includes data concerning companies newly established¹ in the fourth quarter of 2009 together with data for whole year 2009. The whole year data is based on revised information for quarters one to three of 2009 and the present quarterly report for quarter four. This will not be revised, which consequently means that these reported year totals constitute final data for 2009.

In the fourth quarter of 2009, 15,415 new companies were established, which constitutes an increase of 17 per cent compared with the fourth quarter of 2008. The increase was the most pronounced in the industrial category of Construction (SNI 2002) at 40 per cent. Over the entire year, 59,597 new companies were founded. The number of newly established companies in 2009 thereby increased by 3 per cent compared with 2008.

The number of new companies in relation to the population aged 16 to 64 amounted to 10.0 companies per 1,000 residents for the whole country. By county, the highest establishment frequency was in Stockholm County at 13.5 companies per 1,000 residents. The number of companies increased by 11 per cent in Skåne County and by 4 per cent in Västra Götaland County, while the number remained virtually unchanged in Stockholm County.

Beginning in 2009, the statistics are presented by industry in accordance with the new SNI 2007 classification. More information on this is available on the Statistics Sweden website. Divided by industry, just over 9,100 (15 per cent) of the new companies were established in the industry category of Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles and just over 6,700 (11 per cent) in Construction, and barely 6,100 (10 per cent ) in Legal and accounting activities.

In order to enable comparisons with older statistics by industry, the previous industrial classification according to SNI 2002 is maintained during 2009. Compared with 2008, the number of newly established companies in the industrial categories of Construction, Wholesale/retail trade and restaurant activities and Personal services² increased by 7 per cent in each industrial category, while the number of newly started companies decreased by 15 per cent in the industrial category of Services to buildings.

The newly established companies employed barely 101,000 people³, which means an increase of 4 per cent compared with 2008. Among them, 35 per cent were full-time employees. The number of women employed in the new companies amounted to just over 40,000 people (40 per cent). Divided by gender, 61 per cent of the new companies were managed by men and 33 per cent by women. The remaining companies (6 per cent) were managed by men and women together. In 2008, the corresponding figures were 62, 32 and 6 per cent, respectively.

Approximately 12,700 or 21 per cent of the new companies were established as limited companies. The number of newly established trading and limited partnership etc. amounted to barely 5,200 (9 per cent) and the number of sole traders amounted to 41,700 (70 per cent). Compared with 2008, the number of sole traders increased by 9 per cent, while the number of newly founded limited companies decreased by 9 per cent.

1. Less various types of take-overs and reorganisations of existing companies. Sole proprietorships that did not register the company name are included. These companies are not included in other statistics based on information on new business registrations. 
2. Education, health and medical care, other social and personal services. 
3. Includes owners