Swedish small businesses on the rise

The recovery of the Swedish economy is also evident in the creation of new companies. Although the number of new firms dropped significantly in 2009 as a whole, the final months of the year showed signs of improvement.

• Swedish economy over the worst: report (18 Dec 09)
• Borg 'more optimistic' about Swedish economy (9 Nov 09)
• Swedes upbeat about the economy: poll (20 Oct 09)

In December 2009, the number of newly started firms in Sweden increased by 16.9 percent compared to the same month last year. The entire period of September to December showed a total increase of 10.7 percent, according to figures from the Swedish Companies Registration Office (Bolagsverket) compiled by finance consultancy Visma.

The growth over the last few months can also be measured by region. In October, eight of 21 counties or regions in Sweden reported positive figures for new firms, while 15 reported growth in December.

However, the postive trend hasn't yet made up for the huge drop in new firms at the beginning of the year. The total number of Swedish companies started in 2009 decreased by 8.3 percent compared to 2008.

In 2009, 54,619 new companies were registed in Sweden. These include sole proprietors and joint-stock companies, among others.

In 2008, 59,546 companies were registered. Overall, however, the net effect is positive, since around 15,000 fewer companies were shut down in 2009.