A statistical business register (SBR) plays a central part in a system of official economic statistics at a national statistics office.^[1]

A company register has a different purpose: protection, accountability and control of legal entities.

Register contents

Data sources

Countries use whatever data sources they seem relevant. E.g. they often integrate a company register in one form or another.

Type of business units

In EU a corresponding regulation define register contents:

• all enterprises carrying on economic activities contributing to the gross domestic product (GDP), and their local units
• the legal units of which those enterprises consist
• enterprise groups

Characteristics

• identification properties
  • identification number
  • name
  • address
  • contact info
  • VAT number
• dates of creation/liquidation
• main activity
• operational status
• legal form
• links to other registries
• links to other organizations or structural units
• control
• ownership
• employees

Business registries in the world

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe provides Guidelines on Statistical Business Registers which describes the roles of the statistical business register.^[2]

European Commission provides a legal framework for business registers for statistical purposes.^[3]

See: List of company, tax and statistical business registers