To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail the data her Department captured, regarding the number of women starting businesses in Northern Ireland, over the last five years.

My Department does not hold official statistics on the number of women starting businesses in the North. However, we do monitor external research sources that provide valuable insights into female entrepreneurship.

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for example, tracks total early-stage entrepreneurial activity, the percentage of the working-age population starting or running a new business.

In 2023, the rate of female total early-stage entrepreneurial activity was 8.2% in the North; this was an increase from the 7.3% recorded in 2022, and continued the upward trend seen in recent years.

The Gender Index 2025 indicates that the North was the best performing region for new female led incorporations in 2024, with 21.8% of newly registered companies being female-led – this was higher than Britain’s average of 20.5%.

The Gender Index also shows however, that we continue to have the lowest proportion of active companies led by women – this was 17.5% in 2024, compared to Britain’s average of 19.1%.

While I am encouraged by the progress being made, I recognise that there is still more to do to support women in business. To that end, my Department, and its partner organisations, will continue to support female entrepreneurship through a range of initiatives.