The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2023/24 Women’s Entrepreneurship Report: Reshaping Economies and Communities highlights an upward trend in women's startup and established business ownership (a business in operation for more than three and a half years) over the past quarter century. GEM, currently celebrating its 25th Silver Anniversary, has provided insight on the state of women’s entrepreneurship since 1999. This year’s 12th edition of the GEM Women’s Report highlights the following important trends:
• Women’s startup activity rates have risen from an average of 6.1% between 2001-2005 to 10.4% for the 2021-2023 time period across 30 GEM-participating countries. While one in 10 women started new businesses in 2023, compared to one in eight men, several countries such as France, the Netherlands and Hungary saw women’s startup rates more than double over the past two decades. However, high-income countries continue to report the lowest rates of women’s startup activity and display the largest gender gap.
• Women’s established business ownership rates across the 30 countries compared have also gone up from 4.2% to the current 5.9%. High rates were particularly strong for women in South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Lithuania, Puerto Rico and Thailand.
• Entrepreneurial perceptions among women have improved significantly over the past two decades, with a 79% increase in perceived business opportunities and a 27% increase in startup skills. Fear of failure rates have also risen by over half among women, posing new questions for researchers and policymakers.