IBOV 183,827.59 ▲ 0.46% IPSA 11,055.91 ▼ 0.73% IPC MEX 65,071.30 ▲ 0.20% MERVAL 2,782,561 ▼ 0.59% COLCAP 2,558.92 ▼ 0.79% BVL PERÚ 60,220.45 ▲ 0.32% USD/BRL5.20▼ 0.43% USD/MXN18.09▲ 0.55% USD/CLP972.08▲ 0.38% USD/COP3,323▲ 0.62% USD/PEN3.44▲ 0.01% USD/ARS1,524▼ 0.05% USD/UYU40.27▲ 3.67% USD/PYG5,843▲ 2.30% USD/BOB11.96▲ 0.45% USD/DOP59.27▲ 2.75% USD/CRC452.68▲ 2.68% USD/GTQ7.64▲ 3.13% USD/HNL26.87▲ 3.23% USD/NIO36.62▲ 2.65% USD/VES856.92▲ 0.01% USD/PAB1.00— 0.00% USD/BZD2.00— 0.00% USD/JMD 157.28 — 0.00% USD/TTD6.70▲ 1.64% EUR/BRL5.90▲ 0.07% BRENT 88.88 ▼ 0.03% WTI 83.11 ▼ 0.11% IRON ORE 161.91 — — COPPER 6.61 ▲ 0.03% GOLD 4,461 ▲ 1.78% SILVER 65.59 ▲ 1.26% SOY 1,184 ▲ 3.20% CORN 480.50 ▲ 10.02% WHEAT 655.00 ▲ 3.93% COFFEE 317.25 ▼ 5.51% SUGAR 16.43 ▼ 1.79% ORANGE JUICE 138.55 ▼ 0.47% COTTON 85.03 ▲ 2.33% COCOA 5,719 ▲ 3.18% BEEF 223.60 ▼ 3.93% CATTLE 339.10 ▼ 3.16% LITHIUM 75.20 ▲ 1.47% PETR4 41.64 ▼ 0.05% VALE3 72.97 ▲ 0.83% ITUB4 38.60 ▼ 1.03% BBDC4 16.85 ▲ 0.36% ABEV3 14.89 ▼ 0.80% BBAS3 19.37 ▲ 0.47% B3SA3 14.26 ▼ 0.21% WEGE3 47.59 ▲ 0.49% PRIO3 59.14 ▼ 0.19% SUZB3 41.33 ▲ 2.35% RENT3 34.68 ▼ 0.09% AZZA3 15.89 ▼ 2.63% CSAN3 3.22 ▼ 1.83% RAIZ4 0.25 — 0.00% PCAR3 2.75 ▼ 0.36% GMAT3 3.65 ▼ 1.08% PSSA3 48.13 ▼ 0.54% CVCB3 1.33 ▼ 2.92% POSI3 3.36 ▲ 2.44% SLCE3 13.34 ▲ 0.30% NATU3 8.14 ▼ 0.73% IBOV 183,827.59 ▲ 0.46% IPSA 11,055.91 ▼ 0.73% IPC MEX 65,071.30 ▲ 0.20% MERVAL 2,782,561 ▼ 0.59% COLCAP 2,558.92 ▼ 0.79% BVL PERÚ 60,220.45 ▲ 0.32% USD/BRL 5.16 ▲ 0.01% USD/MXN 17.06 ▼ 0.24% USD/CLP 913.98 ▲ 0.04% USD/COP 3,140 ▲ 0.03% USD/PEN 3.36 ▼ 0.66% USD/ARS 1,493 ▲ 0.10% USD/UYU 40.27 ▲ 1.24% USD/PYG 5,939 ▲ 1.68% USD/BOB 11.64 ▼ 0.76% USD/DOP 58.34 ▲ 1.25% USD/CRC 445.92 ▲ 0.89% USD/GTQ 7.62 ▲ 2.21% USD/HNL 26.79 ▲ 1.57% USD/NIO 36.62 ▲ 0.69% USD/VES 762.44 ▼ 0.13% USD/PAB 1.00 — 0.00% USD/BZD 2.00 — 0.00% USD/JMD 157.28 — 0.00% USD/TTD 6.70 ▲ 0.61% EUR/BRL 5.95 ▲ 1.01% BRENT 88.88 ▼ 0.03% WTI 83.11 ▼ 0.11% IRON ORE 161.91 — — COPPER 6.61 ▲ 0.03% GOLD 4,461 ▲ 1.78% SILVER 65.59 ▲ 1.26% SOY 1,184 ▲ 3.20% CORN 480.50 ▲ 10.02% WHEAT 655.00 ▲ 3.93% COFFEE 317.25 ▼ 5.51% SUGAR 16.43 ▼ 1.79% ORANGE JUICE 138.55 ▼ 0.47% COTTON 85.03 ▲ 2.33% COCOA 5,719 ▲ 3.18% BEEF 223.60 ▼ 3.93% CATTLE 339.10 ▼ 3.16% LITHIUM 75.20 ▲ 1.47% PETR4 41.64 ▼ 0.05% VALE3 72.97 ▲ 0.83% ITUB4 38.60 ▼ 1.03% BBDC4 16.85 ▲ 0.36% ABEV3 14.89 ▼ 0.80% BBAS3 19.37 ▲ 0.47% B3SA3 14.26 ▼ 0.21% WEGE3 47.59 ▲ 0.49% PRIO3 59.14 ▼ 0.19% SUZB3 41.33 ▲ 2.35% RENT3 34.68 ▼ 0.09% AZZA3 15.89 ▼ 2.63% CSAN3 3.22 ▼ 1.83% RAIZ4 0.25 — 0.00% PCAR3 2.75 ▼ 0.36% GMAT3 3.65 ▼ 1.08% PSSA3 48.13 ▼ 0.54% CVCB3 1.33 ▼ 2.92% POSI3 3.36 ▲ 2.44% SLCE3 13.34 ▲ 0.30% NATU3 8.14 ▼ 0.73%
since 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Brazil Adds 2.7M New Businesses in 2023

By · September 27, 2023 · 2 min read

The LatAm Brief

One email, every weekday morning. What moved in Latin American markets, politics and expat life.

Yesterday’s subject line: “Argentina gives Britain two weeks over Falklands oil”

Free. We send a confirmation link first — nothing arrives until you click it. Unsubscribe with one click in any edition. If you stop opening us for 30 days we stop sending by ourselves, as we assume the interest is no longer there. See our privacy policy. We never share your email.

From January to August 2023, Brazil saw 2.7 million new businesses open. This boosts the total to 21.8 million active firms nationwide.

Importantly, 93.7% are small or micro-businesses. Starting a business took an average of 1 day and 5 hours in the second quarter.

The Business Map report revealed these numbers. Brazil’s Ministry of Development and the Federal Service for Data Processing partnered for the study.

Free daily brief — no card needed
Get every Business - Brazil story in one morning email
We build you a personalized brief around the topics you follow — free for 7 days. Love it? Your first month after that is US$1.

They released this data last Tuesday.

Interestingly, Maranhão led in business growth, rising 7.7% since the year began. In contrast, Paraíba saw a 5.7% drop.

In pure numbers, São Paulo came first with 408,116 new firms. Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro followed with 147,147 and 115,264, respectively.

However, 1.47 million firms also closed. This leaves a net gain of 1.23 million new businesses.

Specifically, the second quarter saw 1,382,708 startups and 738,190 closures. This resulted in a net increase of 644,518 new firms.

Brazil Adds 2.7M New Businesses in 2023.
Brazil Adds 2.7M New Businesses in 2023.
One-stop reference
Company Intelligence
Every listed company in Latin America — financials, ownership and structure for 1,450+ companies across 26 exchanges, in one place.
Browse the directory →
RT
Ask Rio Times
Latin American markets, currencies and companies.
Open the full Ask Rio Times →

Amanda Souto, a department director, praised the surge in Brazilian entrepreneurial activity. She cited the significant net rise in new firms.

The report also tracked start-up time. By the quarter’s end, this average fell to 1 day and 5 hours. However, this shows a six-hour increase compared to last year.

Finally, Sergipe was the quickest state for starting a business, at 7 hours. São Paulo took the longest but improved by 6 hours to an average of 1 day and 20 hours.

Among the capitals, Aracaju, Goiânia, and Curitiba took only 2 hours. Belém lagged behind, taking 3 days and 6 hours on average.

Background

The data underscores Brazil’s robust entrepreneurial culture. A net increase of 1.23 million new businesses is promising.

Yet, the high number of closures also suggests market volatility. Small and micro-businesses dominate, making up over 90% of the total.

This could point to easier entry but also perhaps a lack of scalability.

It’s also notable that São Paulo remains an economic hub. However, its slower business registration time may deter some entrepreneurs.

Reducing bureaucratic delays nationwide can spur even more business activity, benefiting the entire economy.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error

Read More from The Rio Times

The Rio Times · Power Map
See who really holds power in Latin America
Click to open the Power Map →

Rotate for Best Experience

This report is optimized for landscape viewing. Rotate your phone for the full experience.