In 2018 the number of enterprises reached 101.147 compared to 96.936 in 2017, recording an increase of 4.3%, according to data released Friday by the Statistical Service of Cyprus.

The number of establishments increased by 3.7%, from 105,019 in 2017 to 108,891 in 2018.

Since 2015 an annual increase in the number of enterprises and the number of establishments has been recorded. A decrease was recorded for the last time in 2014 compared with the previous year.

In 2018, 94.8% of the enterprises were employing less than 10 persons. The biggest productive sector with regard to the number of enterprises was “Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles” followed by “Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities” and “Construction”, while the smallest productive sector was “Mining and Quarrying”.

Most of the establishments were located in the district of Nicosia, while the smallest number of establishments was recorded in the district of Famagusta.