Maps
The Type of Business Every Country Wants to Start
View a higher resolution version of this map.
The Type of Business Every Country Wants to Start
View a higher resolution version of this map.
Every year, millions of new businesses are started across the world—in 2021, nearly 5.4 million new business applications were filed in the U.S. alone.
And since startups and new businesses play a significant role in shaping a country’s economic growth, encouraging entrepreneurship is vital. But what types of businesses around the world are people most interested in starting?
These maps by ZenBusiness show the most popular types of businesses that entrepreneurs in nearly every country want to start, based on analyzing relevant internet search results.
Most Searched Businesses Around the World
To source the data, ZenBusiness analyzed searches from Ahrefs, specifically looking for the term “start a business” and its equivalents in local languages as of February 2022.
They then found the relevant topic or keyword with the highest search volume, and organized the results into 11 different industries:
- Beauty & Cosmetics
- Food & Drink
- Logistics & Infrastructure
- Personal Services
- Recycling
- Software Development
- Business & Financial
- Leisure & Tourism
- Marketing
- Real Estate
- Retail & E-Commerce
The data showed that the industries entrepreneurs are most attracted to vary greatly from country to country, depending on a variety of factors such as infrastructure, business climate, and culture.
Here’s a breakdown of the most searched businesses around the world, broken down by region.
Africa
From cooking gas refills in South Africa to supplements in the Gambia, entrepreneurs across Africa seem to be interested in starting a wide range of businesses (at least according to their searches).
But while the results varied across the region, the most-searched industry was personal services such as cleaning, interior design, and contracting. Cleaning was especially popular, ranking first in six different African countries.
One African country worth highlighting is Morocco, where freight is the most-searched startup term across the country. This makes sense considering Morocco is home to several major ports, including the Port of Tanger Med, which is Africa’s largest port by cargo capacity.
Europe
In Europe, real estate is the most-searched industry, ranking number one in seven different countries across the continent. Over the last decade, the European Union’s real estate market has boomed—between 2010 and 2021, home prices in the EU increased by 42%.
Retail is also a popular industry across Europe, with clothing-related searching taking the top spot in five different European countries.
Middle East & Central Asia
From soap production in Uzbekistan to dropshipping in Azerbaijan, the Middle East & Central Asia have the most diverse searches compared to any other region.
One particularly interesting top search was in the United Arab Emirates, where imports and exports ranked first. The UAE’s economy is heavily reliant on trade, especially oil, which makes up 30% of the region’s GDP and 41% of public revenues.
Rest of Asia & Oceania
Asia and Oceania had an interesting mix of unique business searches. For instance, pig farming ranked number one in the Solomon Islands, and lawn moving took the top spot in New Zealand.
But generally speaking, retail was one of the most-searched-for business types across this region, with clothing taking the top spot in countries like Australia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
North America
Across North America, retail takes the top spot for most searched business type. In fact, the top searches in nearly half of the region’s countries are related to the retail or e-commerce industry.
The U.S. currently has the largest retail market in the world, although China is close on its heels. In 2021, America’s retail market was valued at over $6.5 trillion U.S. dollars.
South America
Food was the top searched industry across South America, ranking number one in half the countries across the region. In Brazil, sweets took the top spot, which might not be surprising considering the country is the top sugar cane producer worldwide.
Clothing was also a popular business idea, taking the top spot in five South American countries.
Which countries surprised you the most with their new business interest?

This article was published as a part of Visual Capitalist's Creator Program, which features data-driven visuals from some of our favorite Creators around the world.
Maps
Mapped: Which Countries Recognize Israel or Palestine, or Both?
In this visualization, we look at how international recognition of Israel and Palestine breaks down among the 193 UN member states.

Which Countries Recognize Israel or Palestine, or Both?
The modern-day conflict between Israel and Palestine emerged from the British Mandate for Palestine, which administered the former Ottoman Empire territory after World War I. But even after 75 years—and declarations of independence from each side—universal recognition eludes them.
In this visualization, we look at how Israel and Palestine recognition breaks down among the 193 UN member states as of November 14, 2023, using Wikpedia data for each state.
This post is a companion piece to separate maps showing the recognition of Israel and of Palestine by country.
A Declaration of Independence
The Jewish People’s Council declared the foundation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948 (the same day that the last British forces left Haifa) on the basis of the 1947 UN Partition Plan, which divided the Mandate territories between Jewish and Arab populations.
U.S. President Truman granted de-facto recognition 11 minutes after the Israeli declaration. Not to be outdone by their Cold War adversary, the U.S.S.R. followed suit three days later with de-jure recognition and was joined by Warsaw Pact allies Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Poland.
By the end of 1948, 21 countries recognized Israel.
A Second Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence for the State of Palestine, comprising the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, didn’t happen until 40 years later.
In the midst of the First Intifada, a five-year-long Palestinian uprising that began in 1987, the Palestine Liberation Organization proclaimed the new state in the city of Algiers on November 15, 1988.
A dozen countries, including 10 members of the Arab League along with Malaysia and Yemen, immediately recognized the new state. The Soviet Union, the Eastern Bloc, and most of the Muslim world also joined in recognizing the State of Palestine.
Recognition of Israel and Palestine by Country
As of November 2023, 163 UN member states have recognized Israel, while 138 have recognized Palestine.
UN Member State | Recognize Israel 🇮🇱 | Recognize Palestine 🇵🇸 | |
---|---|---|---|
🇦🇫 | Afghanistan | No | Yes |
🇦🇱 | Albania | Yes | Yes |
🇩🇿 | Algeria | No | Yes |
🇦🇩 | Andorra | Yes | No |
🇦🇴 | Angola | Yes | Yes |
🇦🇬 | Antigua and Barbuda | Yes | Yes |
🇦🇷 | Argentina | Yes | Yes |
🇦🇲 | Armenia | Yes | No |
🇦🇺 | Australia | Yes | No |
🇦🇹 | Austria | Yes | No |
🇦🇿 | Azerbaijan | Yes | Yes |
🇧🇸 | Bahamas | Yes | No |
🇧🇭 | Bahrain | Yes | Yes |
🇧🇩 | Bangladesh | No | Yes |
🇧🇧 | Barbados | Yes | No |
🇧🇾 | Belarus | Yes | Yes |
🇧🇪 | Belgium | Yes | No |
🇧🇿 | Belize | No | Yes |
🇧🇯 | Benin | Yes | Yes |
🇧🇹 | Bhutan | Yes | Yes |
🇧🇴 | Bolivia | No | Yes |
🇧🇦 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Yes | Yes |
🇧🇼 | Botswana | Yes | Yes |
🇧🇷 | Brazil | Yes | Yes |
🇧🇳 | Brunei | No | Yes |
🇧🇬 | Bulgaria | Yes | Yes |
🇧🇫 | Burkina Faso | Yes | Yes |
🇧🇮 | Burundi | Yes | Yes |
🇰🇭 | Cambodia | Yes | Yes |
🇨🇲 | Cameroon | Yes | No |
🇨🇦 | Canada | Yes | No |
🇨🇻 | Cape Verde | Yes | Yes |
🇨🇫 | Central African Republic | Yes | Yes |
🇹🇩 | Chad | Yes | Yes |
🇨🇱 | Chile | Yes | Yes |
🇨🇳 | China | Yes | Yes |
🇨🇴 | Colombia | Yes | Yes |
🇰🇲 | Comoros | No | Yes |
🇨🇷 | Costa Rica | Yes | Yes |
🇨🇮 | Côte d'Ivoire | Yes | Yes |
🇭🇷 | Croatia | Yes | No |
🇨🇺 | Cuba | No | Yes |
🇨🇾 | Cyprus | Yes | Yes |
🇨🇿 | Czechia | Yes | Yes |
🇨🇩 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Yes | Yes |
🇩🇰 | Denmark | Yes | No |
🇩🇯 | Djibouti | No | Yes |
🇩🇲 | Dominica | Yes | Yes |
🇩🇴 | Dominican Republic | Yes | Yes |
🇪🇨 | Ecuador | Yes | Yes |
🇪🇬 | Egypt | Yes | Yes |
🇸🇻 | El Salvador | Yes | Yes |
🇬🇶 | Equatorial Guinea | Yes | Yes |
🇪🇷 | Eritrea | Yes | No |
🇪🇪 | Estonia | Yes | No |
🇸🇿 | Eswatini | Yes | Yes |
🇪🇹 | Ethiopia | Yes | Yes |
🇫🇲 | Federated States of Micronesia | Yes | No |
🇫🇯 | Fiji | Yes | No |
🇫🇮 | Finland | Yes | No |
🇫🇷 | France | Yes | No |
🇬🇦 | Gabon | Yes | Yes |
🇬🇪 | Georgia | Yes | Yes |
🇩🇪 | Germany | Yes | No |
🇬🇭 | Ghana | Yes | Yes |
🇬🇷 | Greece | Yes | No |
🇬🇩 | Grenada | Yes | Yes |
🇬🇹 | Guatemala | Yes | Yes |
🇬🇳 | Guinea | Yes | Yes |
🇬🇼 | Guinea-Bissau | Yes | Yes |
🇬🇾 | Guyana | Yes | Yes |
🇭🇹 | Haiti | Yes | Yes |
🇭🇳 | Honduras | Yes | Yes |
🇭🇺 | Hungary | Yes | Yes |
🇮🇸 | Iceland | Yes | Yes |
🇮🇳 | India | Yes | Yes |
🇮🇩 | Indonesia | No | Yes |
🇮🇷 | Iran | No | Yes |
🇮🇶 | Iraq | No | Yes |
🇮🇪 | Ireland | Yes | No |
🇮🇱 | Israel | Yes | No |
🇮🇹 | Italy | Yes | No |
🇯🇲 | Jamaica | Yes | No |
🇯🇵 | Japan | Yes | No |
🇯🇴 | Jordan | Yes | Yes |
🇰🇿 | Kazakhstan | Yes | Yes |
🇰🇪 | Kenya | Yes | Yes |
🇰🇮 | Kiribati | Yes | No |
🇰🇼 | Kuwait | No | Yes |
🇰🇬 | Kyrgyzstan | Yes | Yes |
🇱🇦 | Laos | Yes | Yes |
🇱🇻 | Latvia | Yes | No |
🇱🇧 | Lebanon | No | Yes |
🇱🇸 | Lesotho | Yes | Yes |
🇱🇷 | Liberia | Yes | Yes |
🇱🇾 | Libya | No | Yes |
🇱🇮 | Liechtenstein | Yes | No |
🇱🇹 | Lithuania | Yes | No |
🇱🇺 | Luxembourg | Yes | No |
🇲🇬 | Madagascar | Yes | Yes |
🇲🇼 | Malawi | Yes | Yes |
🇲🇾 | Malaysia | No | Yes |
🇲🇻 | Maldives | No | Yes |
🇲🇱 | Mali | No | Yes |
🇲🇹 | Malta | Yes | Yes |
🇲🇭 | Marshall Islands | Yes | No |
🇲🇷 | Mauritania | No | Yes |
🇲🇺 | Mauritius | Yes | Yes |
🇲🇽 | Mexico | Yes | No |
🇲🇩 | Moldova | Yes | No |
🇲🇨 | Monaco | Yes | No |
🇲🇳 | Mongolia | Yes | Yes |
🇲🇪 | Montenegro | Yes | Yes |
🇲🇦 | Morocco | Yes | Yes |
🇲🇿 | Mozambique | Yes | Yes |
🇲🇲 | Myanmar | Yes | No |
🇳🇦 | Namibia | Yes | Yes |
🇳🇷 | Nauru | Yes | No |
🇳🇵 | Nepal | Yes | Yes |
🇳🇱 | Netherlands | Yes | No |
🇳🇿 | New Zealand | Yes | No |
🇳🇮 | Nicaragua | Yes | Yes |
🇳🇪 | Niger | No | Yes |
🇳🇬 | Nigeria | Yes | Yes |
🇰🇵 | North Korea | No | Yes |
🇲🇰 | North Macedonia | Yes | No |
🇳🇴 | Norway | Yes | No |
🇴🇲 | Oman | No | Yes |
🇵🇰 | Pakistan | No | Yes |
🇵🇼 | Palau | Yes | No |
🇵🇦 | Panama | Yes | No |
🇵🇬 | Papua New Guinea | Yes | Yes |
🇵🇾 | Paraguay | Yes | Yes |
🇵🇪 | Peru | Yes | Yes |
🇵🇭 | Philippines | Yes | Yes |
🇵🇱 | Poland | Yes | Yes |
🇵🇹 | Portugal | Yes | No |
🇶🇦 | Qatar | No | Yes |
🇨🇬 | Republic of the Congo | Yes | Yes |
🇷🇴 | Romania | Yes | Yes |
🇷🇺 | Russia | Yes | Yes |
🇷🇼 | Rwanda | Yes | Yes |
🇰🇳 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Yes | Yes |
🇱🇨 | Saint Lucia | Yes | Yes |
🇻🇨 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Yes | Yes |
🇼🇸 | Samoa | Yes | No |
🇸🇲 | San Marino | Yes | No |
🇸🇹 | São Tomé and Príncipe | Yes | Yes |
🇸🇦 | Saudi Arabia | No | Yes |
🇸🇳 | Senegal | Yes | Yes |
🇷🇸 | Serbia | Yes | Yes |
🇸🇨 | Seychelles | Yes | Yes |
🇸🇱 | Sierra Leone | Yes | Yes |
🇸🇬 | Singapore | Yes | No |
🇸🇰 | Slovakia | Yes | Yes |
🇸🇮 | Slovenia | Yes | No |
🇸🇧 | Solomon Islands | Yes | No |
🇸🇴 | Somalia | No | Yes |
🇿🇦 | South Africa | Yes | Yes |
🇰🇷 | South Korea | Yes | No |
🇸🇸 | South Sudan | Yes | Yes |
🇪🇸 | Spain | Yes | No |
🇱🇰 | Sri Lanka | Yes | Yes |
🇸🇩 | Sudan | Yes | Yes |
🇸🇷 | Suriname | Yes | Yes |
🇸🇪 | Sweden | Yes | Yes |
🇨🇭 | Switzerland | Yes | No |
🇸🇾 | Syria | No | Yes |
🇹🇯 | Tajikistan | Yes | Yes |
🇹🇿 | Tanzania | Yes | Yes |
🇹🇭 | Thailand | Yes | Yes |
🇬🇲 | The Gambia | Yes | Yes |
🇹🇱 | Timor-Leste | Yes | Yes |
🇹🇬 | Togo | Yes | Yes |
🇹🇴 | Tonga | Yes | No |
🇹🇹 | Trinidad and Tobago | Yes | No |
🇹🇳 | Tunisia | No | Yes |
🇹🇷 | Türkiye | Yes | Yes |
🇹🇲 | Turkmenistan | Yes | Yes |
🇹🇻 | Tuvalu | Yes | No |
🇺🇬 | Uganda | Yes | Yes |
🇺🇦 | Ukraine | Yes | Yes |
🇦🇪 | United Arab Emirates | Yes | Yes |
🇬🇧 | United Kingdom | Yes | No |
🇺🇸 | United States | Yes | No |
🇺🇾 | Uruguay | Yes | Yes |
🇺🇿 | Uzbekistan | Yes | Yes |
🇻🇺 | Vanuatu | Yes | Yes |
🇻🇪 | Venezuela | No | Yes |
🇻🇳 | Vietnam | Yes | Yes |
🇾🇪 | Yemen | No | Yes |
🇿🇲 | Zambia | Yes | Yes |
🇿🇼 | Zimbabwe | Yes | Yes |
Most of the countries that do not currently recognize Israel are Muslim-majority countries. However, some Muslim-majority countries have recognized Israel, such as Egypt and Jordan, who specifically agreed to do so under peace treaties signed in 1979 and 1994 respectively.
Several conflicts have also resulted in some countries suspending relations with Israel. The 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli Wars (also called the Six-Day War and Yom Kippur War, respectively) all saw countries suspend diplomatic relations, including Mali and the Maldives. In the case of Eastern Bloc countries that did so in 1967 and 1973, many resumed relations after the fall of the Soviet Union.
On the other side, despite more countries recognizing the State of Palestine over time, none of the G7 and only nine of the G20 have recognized the state. Similarly, only a minority of the EU has endorsed the declaration.
Present-Day
Israel and Palestine continue to vie for recognition in the international arena, with the former gaining recognition from a few countries including Bhutan and the UAE in 2020, and the latter from Colombia in 2018 and Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2019.
But universal recognition continues to elude both sides, with many countries awaiting a formal resolution to the conflict from the two sides.
It’s worth noting that both Israel and Palestine took steps towards recognition under the Oslo Accords, signed on September 13, 1993. The agreement saw Palestine recognize the State of Israel, put an end to the First Intifada, and allowed for limited self-government under a new Palestinian National Authority in Gaza and the West Bank. It promised to lay the groundwork for a two-state solution; a promise of peace that has yet to be realized.
-
War6 days ago
Ranked: Share of Global Arms Exports in 2022
-
Maps2 weeks ago
Interactive Map: The World as 1,000 People
-
Brands1 week ago
Ranked: Average Black Friday Discounts for Major Retailers
-
Brands1 week ago
Ranked: Fast Food Brands with the Most U.S. Locations
-
Markets1 week ago
Visualizing 30 Years of Imports from U.S. Trading Partners
-
Markets1 week ago
Ranked: The Biggest Retailers in the U.S. by Revenue
-
Globalization1 week ago
The Top 50 Largest Importers in the World
-
Maps1 week ago
Mapped: Which Countries Recognize Israel or Palestine, or Both?