Small businesses are the driving force of economic growth in both developing and developed countries worldwide. According to the World Trade Organization, small- and medium-sized enterprises account for 45% of GDP in developing and developed countries and 66% of total jobs. The ability to start and grow new businesses is crucial to the health of any economy, and the types of businesses that entrepreneurs start within a given country can significantly shape the path of its economic growth.
But which types of businesses are the best to start where you live?
Using the Ahrefs platform, ZenBusiness input the term “start a business” into the “Keywords Explorer” section of the website, subsection” Matching terms.” ZenBusiness did this in every country’s most spoken language and then translated the results to English with Google Translate, so the team could identify the relevant business ideas with the highest search volume.
For Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, ZenBusiness collected the top 10 relevant keywords, omitting repeats. Repeats are distinct keywords with identical meanings within this project’s scope, e.g., “how to start a cleaning business” vs. “how to start a cleaning business in Australia” for results in Australia.
To allow further analysis of differently worded keywords and their translations after data collection, the team added a “Business Type” column for categorizing the keywords by type.
Finally, ZenBusiness calculated the “Top 10 Worldwide” by ranking unique keyword types from the countries’ dataset by the number of occurrences in descending order.
The data is accurate as of February 2022.
The top businesses every country in the world wants to start
Starting a new business requires planning and lots of research. ZenBusiness team analyzed search volume data to determine what type of businesses are most popular in every country, according to what users are searching for. The map below reveals the industries that each country is interested in.
From Argentina and Australia to Tanzania and Trinidad & Tobago, they found that clothing startups are the most popular worldwide.
The top 10 businesses people want to start worldwide
The value of the fashion industry to the global economy is 3 trillion dollars, according to FashionUnited Business Intelligence, making up 2% of the world’s GDP on its own. So we shouldn’t be surprised that clothing is the most-searched-for new business idea across 22 countries, putting it just ahead of real estate in 19 countries.
The top business every country in North America wants to start
North Americans love their food and their clothes, at least when it comes to starting new businesses. Food production and restaurants are viral in Latin American countries like Cuba, Costa Rica, and the Bahamas, while Canada and Mexico are hotbeds of clothing startups.
The top 10 businesses people want to start in Canada
There are around 3.5 million entrepreneurs in Canada, according to Startup Canada. But what kind of businesses are they looking at setting up? The data reveals that the most-searched-for industries are clothing, jewelry, and cleaning, with dog walking making it into the top ten.
The top 10 businesses people want to start in the United States
According to the U.S. Business Formation Statistics, around 3.5 million new businesses start in the U.S. every year. We found that cleaning, vending machine production, and clothing are the top three industries most searched for by prospective entrepreneurs.
The top business every country in South America wants to start
Brazil produces around 42 million metric tons of sugar a year, according to Statista, making it the biggest exporter in the world, so it’s no surprise that the most-searched-for startups here are for sweets. However, clothing startups are leading the way in five countries across the continent. Food businesses are also popular, topping the results in four countries.
The top business every country in Europe wants to start
According to the British Cleaning Council, 66,420 cleaning businesses in the UK alone. But surprisingly, cleaning companies are only the third most popular startup across Europe, topping results in four countries. Clothing companies are the most popular in five countries, while real estate companies are the most-searched-for in seven countries, including – Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, and Montenegro.
The top 10 businesses people want to start in the United Kingdom
There are roughly 80 new businesses created every hour in the United Kingdom, according to research by Iwoca. That’s a whole lot of business competition. But which companies are the next wave of entrepreneurs looking to start up? According to what business-minded individuals in the United Kingdom are searching for, cleaning, clothing, and dog walking all place within the top 10 industries.
The top business every country in Middle East and Central Asia want to start
Compared to other regions, far fewer food and clothing startups are being considered in the Middle East and Central Asia. Imports and exports prioritize business hubs such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Coffee shops, shipping, and software also top the results in two countries each.
The top business every country in Africa wants to start
The range of businesses being searched for by prospective entrepreneurs across Africa is incredibly diverse, from cooking gas refills in South Africa to interior design in Mauritius. However, topping the search results in six countries are cleaning businesses.
The top business every country in rest of Asia and Oceania wants to start
According to the Australian Fashion Council, Australia’s clothing industry is worth more than $27.2bn to the country, and it’s the most-searched-for startup idea, so that figure could be set to grow. Clothes are also popular as a business dream in Indonesia, Singapore, Vanuatu, and Nauru. Real estate is the most popular business in five countries – including Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Maldives, and Papua New Guinea.
The top 10 businesses people want to start in Australia
According to Statista, 344,000 new businesses launch in Australia every year. But what kind of businesses are the entrepreneurs of tomorrow planning to launch? We’ve looked at what they are searching for, and the most popular industries include clothing, cleaning, and imports, with an honorable mention for those researching lawn mowing businesses.
Key findings
Clothing-related businesses are the most searched-for across 22 countries, putting it just ahead of real estate in 19 countries.
16% of countries in Europe look to capitalize on the hot housing market, as the top business to start is real estate.
In 47% of countries in North America, the most popular query related to starting a business is about the retail and e-commerce space – the largest share of any continent.
The Middle East and Central Asia have the most startup diversity of any region.
