Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2010 Executive Report

Abstract

With this report, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) has completed 12 annual surveys of the entrepreneurial attitudes, activities and aspirations of individuals around the world. Starting with just 10 developed countries in 1999, GEM has grown to include over 80 economies during the course of these 12 years. In 2010, over 175,000 people were surveyed in 59 economies. These 59 economies represent not only the largest sample yet, but also the most geographically and economically diverse group surveyed. Together, this group covers over 52% of the world’s population and 84% of the world’s GDP. The 2010 survey shows that, in the economies analyzed, some 110 million people between 18 and 64 years old were actively engaged in starting a business. Another 140 million were running new businesses they started less than 3½ years earlier. Taken together, some 250 million were involved in what GEM defines as earlystage entrepreneurial activity. Out of these individuals, an estimated 63 million people expected to hire at least five employees over the next five years, and 27 million of these individuals anticipated hiring twenty or more employees in five years. This illustrates the contribution of entrepreneurship to job growth across the globe. GEM takes a comprehensive snapshot of entrepreneurs around the world, measuring the attitudes of a population and the activities and characteristics of individuals participating in various phases of entrepreneurship. Also revealed are the aspirations these entrepreneurs hold for their businesses, along Executive Summary with other key features of their ventures. This effort is accomplished through the collaborative work of a consortium of national teams consisting of academic researchers from across the globe. Each GEM national team oversees an annual survey of at least 2,000 adults. In addition, they consult with national experts on factors that can explain the nature and level of entrepreneurship in their economies...