Business Tells Lukashenko "goodbye"
- 8.07.2025, 13:48
The number of IEs in Belarus is shrinking at a record pace.
Belstat published fresh statistics on small and medium-sized businesses for 2024. According to it, the number of individual entrepreneurs in the country continued to decline. In 2024, they became less by almost 15 thousand people, writes "Telegraf".
According to official data, 237,326 individual entrepreneurs were operating in Belarus at the end of 2024. This amounted to 94.1% of their number in 2023, when "ipashniki" numbered 252,113. Thus, the downward trend, which began after the peak year of 2021, continued.
And the current reduction has become a record (at least since 2019, when general statistics are kept) not only in absolute figures. Looking at relative numbers, in 2024, the number of sole proprietorships fell by 5.9% - the steepest annual decline in at least the last three years. For comparison, in 2023 the rate of decline was 4.1%, and in 2022, when the decline began, - 3.8%.
Spheres and revenue
As before, the main area of activity for sole proprietorships remained trade and car repair - every third (34.7%) is engaged in it. In second place with a large gap - transportation and postal services (15.5%). The three leaders are followed by "professional, scientific and technical activities" (9.8%).
For sole proprietorships - more than 120, for the self-employed - about 80. The Council of Ministers has published a list of permitted activities
Although IEs make up almost two-thirds of the total number of small and medium-sized businesses, their contribution to the overall economy, judging by Belstat figures, is less than that of micro-, small and medium-sized organizations.
For example, the total revenue of all IEs for the year amounted to Br13.7 billion. This is 2.1% of the total revenue of all small and medium-sized businesses. Export of goods by IEs amounted to $185 million.
The decrease in the number of IEs is not only due to the termination of business activity by Belarusians. Recall that many entrepreneurs are obliged to open legal entities under the new tax legislation.