Future of Business Survey

In partnership with the World Bank and OECD, the Future of Business surveys millions of small businesses on Facebook biannually, more frequently than most business surveys. We share country level data from this survey openly, providing policymakers, research institutions, and nonprofits with an up-to-date, global view of online small businesses' challenges and expectations.

Features

Timeliness

Historically, administrative surveys about small businesses take place about once a decade. In 2016, Facebook, the World Bank and the OECD began gathering insights from small business owners on Facebook in about 20 countries. The Future of Business survey now runs in over 90 countries twice a year, offering insights far timelier than those available in administrative surveys.

Global reach

The Future of Business Survey is conducted in over 90 countries in every region of the world, including 33 countries in Europe, 19 countries in Latin America, 15 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3 countries in the Caribbean, 5 countries in Central America, 20 countries in Asia, and all of North America.

Gender insights

The Future of Business also provides a unique window into women-owned small businesses, surfacing sex-disaggregated insights on small business ownership by country, as well as asking questions meant to better understand challenges specific to women, such as whether they have a role model and or access to formal financing.

Who Uses Future of Business Survey

Laver and Wood, a small business in New Zealand that builds cricket bats, uses Facebook to increase awareness of its brand.

International Institutions

The World Bank and the OECD have been partners in the Future of Business since its inception. Both organizations have used the survey to understand trends in small business ownership, including the state of women-owned small business and how women choose which industries to operate in.

Think Tanks and Universities

Domestic think tanks and universities can also use the Future of Business to explore small business trends specific to their nations.

Researchers and Academics

The Future of Business helps researchers and academics analyze the state of small business and corresponding economic outcomes in a given area. Using this survey data, they're able to gain insights on factors important for economic growth, such as small business export activity and how firms view national business regulations.

GIGM.com, a transport company in Nigeria, uses Facebook to recruit drivers. Facebook has helped the company grow from...

Pelli Poola Jada, a woman-owned business in India, uses their Facebook Page and customer photos to improve their...

A small business employee in Italy prepares coffee for his customers.

Methodology

Twice a year in over 90 countries, the Facebook Survey Team sends the Future of Business to admins and owners of Facebook-designated small business pages. When we share data from this survey, we anonymize responses to all survey questions and only share country-level data publicly. To achieve better representation of the broader small business population, we also weight our results based on known characteristics of the Facebook Page admin population.

Case Studies

It is critical for policymakers to understand that the impacts of COVID-19 will not be the same for everyone. Experience from previous epidemics suggest that COVID-19 will impact groups who are most... It is critical for policymakers to understand that the impacts of COVID-19 will not be the same for everyone. Experience from previous epidemics suggest that COVID-19 will impact groups who are most vulnerable and amplify any existing inequalities across countries, communities, households and individuals. This note focuses on the existing gender inequalities in the economic sphere in Sub-Saharan Africa and summarizes how the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic could affect women and girls disproportionately.

Future of Business Survey

COVID-19 Pandemic Through a Gender Lens

It is critical for policymakers to understand that the impacts of COVID-19 will not be the same for everyone. Experience from previous epidemics suggest that COVID-19 will impact groups who are most vulnerable and amplify any existing inequalities across countries, communities, households and individuals. This note focuses on the existing gender inequalities in the economic sphere in Sub-Saharan Africa and summarizes how the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic could affect women and girls disproportionately.

The Inter-American Development Bank used Future of Business data to study issues that women face and will face economically, such as the risks posed by automation and opportunities for women in the gig economy.

Future of Business Survey

What will the future of the labor market look like for women?

Despite significant progress in women’s educational attainment and higher female labor force participation rates in many countries, progress in closing the gender pay gap, which takes the ratio of... Despite significant progress in women’s educational attainment and higher female labor force participation rates in many countries, progress in closing the gender pay gap, which takes the ratio of median earnings of all women to all men, has been slow.In a new paper “Tackling the Global Profitarchy: Gender and the Choice of Business Sector” we set out to answer these questions on a global level. The paper uses data from the Facebook administered Future of Business survey spanning 97 countries.

Future of Business Survey

Tackling the global profitarchy: Gender and the choice of business sector

Despite significant progress in women’s educational attainment and higher female labor force participation rates in many countries, progress in closing the gender pay gap, which takes the ratio of median earnings of all women to all men, has been slow.In a new paper “Tackling the Global Profitarchy: Gender and the Choice of Business Sector” we set out to answer these questions on a global level. The paper uses data from the Facebook administered Future of Business survey spanning 97 countries.

#Shemeansbusiness partnered with local female entrepreneurship networks to support women in Pakistan running their own businesses and used the Future of Business to better understand their needs... #Shemeansbusiness partnered with local female entrepreneurship networks to support women in Pakistan running their own businesses and used the Future of Business to better understand their needs. Globally, #shemeansbusiness has trained over 42,000 women entrepreneurs in-person and more than 50,000 online.

Future of Business Survey

Supporting female entrepreneurs in Pakistan

View All Case Studies

In the News

Women entrepreneurs are financially underserved — time to change that The Hill After Soul Sisters Pakistan, #SheMeansBusiness to empower women entrepreneurs Daily Times Women-led businesses on digital platforms The Daily Star How women can build the future of business in Sri Lanka Daily FT

Get Involved

Country-level statistics for the Future of Business can be found at the World Bank Open data portal here. If you're interested in becoming a Future of Business research partner and accessing record level data, please email futureofbusiness@fb.com.