Entrepreneurship, firms and investment
Firm creation, SMEs, sectors and foreign investment.
Registered businesses
Sample2025 · Sample data
SMEs
Sample2025 · Sample data
New firms registered
Verified2024 · World Bank WDI · Nov 11, 2026
FDI net inflows
Verified2025 · World Bank WDI · Nov 11, 2026
Entrepreneurship: an overview
The private sector across Central Asia is dominated by small firms and individual entrepreneurs, concentrated in trade, agriculture, transport and services. Much activity runs through simplified tax regimes rather than limited-liability companies, so registration statistics capture only part of it.
According to the World Bank Entrepreneurship Database, 9,638 new limited-liability firms were registered in Kyrgyzstan in 2024, compared with 2,214 in 2014 (+335%). That is 2.15 new firms per 1,000 working-age people.
Net foreign direct investment inflows were $642.4M in 2025. Since 2000 they peaked at $1.1B in 2015. FDI in the region is volatile and tied to a few large resource projects, so single years can swing sharply, and even turn negative.
Business development trends
New businesses registered
VerifiedNew limited-liability firms per year
Unit: number
New business density across Central Asia
VerifiedNew registrations per 1,000 people aged 15–64. Turkmenistan: not reported.
Unit: per 1,000 people aged 15–64
- Kyrgyzstan
- Kazakhstan
- Uzbekistan
- Tajikistan
- Turkmenistan
Foreign direct investment, net inflows
VerifiedCurrent US$. Negative values mean disinvestment exceeded new investment.
Unit: current US$
SME share of GDP across Central Asia
Sample% of GDP
Unit: % of GDP
- Kyrgyzstan
- Kazakhstan
- Uzbekistan
- Tajikistan
- Turkmenistan
Small and medium-sized enterprises
SAMPLEBusiness-register counts and sector shares are placeholders until NSC register data is integrated.
Registered businesses and SMEs
SampleActive units at year end
Unit: number
- All registered businesses
- SMEs
Business activity by sector
Sample% of active businesses
Unit: % of total