The Azores continue to be the national region with the highest business creation rate, which corresponds to a ratio of four companies for each company that closed down.
The Business Barometer - August, published by eInforma, shows that 571 companies were created in the Azores between August 2013 and July this year while 144 closed down in the same period of time.
The average of all Portuguese regions, including the Azores, registered a rate of 2.4; Lisbon, the richest region, recorded a ratio of 2.3 while Madeira registered the lowest ratio at 1.6.
According to the Business Barometer published in October 2013, which concerned the previous 12 months, the Azores were the Portuguese region with the highest net business creation rate, with a ratio of four companies created for each that closed down.
A total of 504 companies were created in the Azores during this period. There was an increase of 67 companies created between August 2013 and July this year, thereby confirming the trend towards a higher business creation rate in the Region; currently, there are 6,655 companies in operation.