Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
The aim is to compile and provide statistical information for users about the number of registered economic entities and bankruptcies on a quarterly basis.
Quarterly Business Demography (QBD) includes two indices:
Registrations - total number of registrations at any time during a given quarter q, according to the respective administrative or legal procedure, which leads to the entry of a legal unit in the registration authority register.
Bankruptcies - total number of legal units that have started the procedure of being declared bankrupt, by issuing a legal declaration of a court, at any time during a given quarter q (which is often provisional and does not always mean the cessation of an activity).
3.2. Classification system
Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community (NACE Rev. 2);
3.3. Coverage - sector
Market activities of NACE Sections B to N, and P to R and divisions S95 and S96.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
Number of registrations - the number of entered legal units in the registration register at any time during the reference quarter q, according to the respective administrative or legal procedure.
Numbers of bankruptcies -the number of legal units that have started the procedure of being declared bankrupt, by issuing a court declaration, at any time during the reference quarter q (which is often provisional and does not always mean cessation of an activity).
3.5. Statistical unit
Observation unit(s) is legal unit.
3.6. Statistical population
Market activities covered include NACE Sections B to N, and P to R and divisions S95 and S96, including sole proprietors (excluding natural persons engaged in economic activity in their own right).
3.7. Reference area
Statistical information is prepared at a national level.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Since first quarter of 2021.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Absolute value.
One quarter.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
EBS Regulation N° 2019/2152, Table 1 of the Commission implementing regulation N° 2020/1197.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Data (pure numbers) are sent to Eurostat.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
In the process of statistical data collection, processing and analysis and dissemination of statistical information, Statistics Lithuania fully guarantees confidentiality of the data submitted by respondents (households, enterprises, institutions, organisations and other statistical units), as defined in the Confidentiality Policy Guidelines of Statistics Lithuania.
The national legislative measures or other formal procedures which prevent unauthorised disclosure of data that identify a person or economic entity either directly or indirectly include:
Statistical Disclosure Control Manual, approved by Order No DĮ-29 of 19 January 2024 of the Director General of Statistics Lithuania (available in Lithuanian only);
The State Data Governance Information System Data Security Regulations and Rules for the Secure Management of Electronic Information in the State Data Governance Information System, approved by Order No DĮ-163 of 20 August 2024 of the Director General of the State Data Agency. (available in Lithuanian only).
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
The data, including estimates, are aggregated at the section level and are treated as non-confidential.
8.1. Release calendar
Statistical information is published on the Official Statistics Portal according to the Official Statistics Calendar.
Statistical information is prepared and disseminated under the principle of impartiality and objectivity, i.e. in a systematic, reliable and unbiased manner, following professional and ethical standards (the European Statistics Code of Practice), and the policies and practices followed are transparent to users and survey respondents.
All users have equal access to statistical information. All statistical information is published at the same time – at 9 a.m. on the day of publication of statistical information as indicated in the calendar on the Official Statistics Portal. Relevant statistical information is sent automatically to news subscribers.
The President and Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania, their advisers, the Ministers of Finance, Economy and Innovation, as well as Social Security and Labour or their authorized persons, as well as, in exceptional cases, external experts and researchers have the right to receive early statistical information. The specified persons are entitled to receive statistical reports on GDP, inflation, employment and unemployment and other particularly relevant statistical reports one day prior to the publication of this statistical information on the Official Statistics Portal. Before exercising the right of early receipt of statistical information, a person shall sign an undertaking not to disseminate the statistical information received before it has been officially published.
Statistical information is published following the Official Statistics Dissemination Policy Guidelines and Statistical Information Dissemination and Communication Rules of the State Data Agency approved by Order No DĮ-208 of 8 October 2024 of the Director General of the State Data Agency.
The data are transmitted to Eurostat and disseminated to national users on quartely basis.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Not applicable.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Not applicable.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
The data have been disseminated quarterly in absolute figures since the first quarter of 2020. Market activities within NACE Sections B to N, and P to R and Divisions.
Statistical indicators are published at Database of Indicators (Business statistics -> Economic entities in operation -> Indicators of economic entities -> The number of economic entities registered over a quarter) and (Business statistics -> Economic entities in operation -> Indicators of economic entities -> The number of enterprises in bankruptcy over a quarter).
For review and analysis of statistical information use the indicators database page. More information about the Database of Indicators is described in the Database of Indicators Users Guide.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
The State Data Agency may, on the basis of contracts concluded with higher education institutions or research institutes, provide statistical data to researchers of these higher education institutions and research institutes to carry out specific statistical analyses for research purposes. Statistical data are provided in accordance with the provisions specified in the Description of Procedure for Data Depersonalisation and Pseudonymisation (only in Lithuanian). More information is available on the Official Statistics Portal, in the section Data Provision (only in Lithuanian).
The State Data Agency aiming to better satisfy the need for statistical information, provides users with opportunities to access open data sets with data on statistical observation units. More information is available on the Official Statistics Portal, in the section Open Data.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
The data (absolute values) are transmitted to Eurostat within 40 days after the reference period.
Statistical information can also be provided upon individual requests (more information is available on the Official Statistics Portal, in the section Data Provision (only in Lithuanian).
In 2007, a quality management system, conforming to the requirements of the international quality management system standard ISO 9001, was introduced at Statistics Lithuania. The main trends in activity of Statistics Lithuania aimed at quality management and continuous development in the institution are established in the Quality Policy.
Monitoring of the quality indicators of statistical processes and their results and self-evaluation of statistical survey managers is regularly carried out in order to identify areas which need improvement and to promptly eliminate shortcomings.
More information on assurance of quality of statistical information and its preparation is published in the Quality Management section on the Statistics Lithuania website.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Data quality is in line with the principles of relevance, accuracy, timeliness and punctuality, coherence and compatibility. The results of the calculation are compared with the results of the previous period. Standing out values are identified and analysed. In case of significant deviations, the data sources are checked and the reasons for the deviation are determined.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
In addition to Eurostat, the main users of statistical information are State and municipal authorities and agencies, international organisations, the media, research and business communities, students, whose needs are satisfied without a breach of the confidentiality principle.
The quarterly data on registrations and bankruptcies reflects the intention of a business to start economic activities or to close down activities and can be used as early indicator for the changes occurring in the country's economic environment.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
Since 2005, user opinion surveys have been conducted on a regular basis. Official Statistics Portal traffic is monitored, website visitor opinion polls, general opinion poll on the products and services of Statistics Lithuania, target user group opinion polls and other surveys are conducted.
In 2007, the compilation of a user satisfaction index was launched. The said surveys are aimed at the assessment of the overall demand for and necessity of statistical information in general and specific statistical indicators in particular.
More information on user opinion surveys and results thereof are published in the User Surveys section on the Statistics Lithuania website.
12.3. Completeness
The content and level of detail of the data fully comply with Eurostat requirements.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The survey is based on the following sources:
Statistical Business Register (information is obtained from the State Enterprise Centre of Registers)
State Tax Inspectorate under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania.
Since quarterly business demography indicators are event-based statistics derived from complete enumeration, sampling and non-sampling errors are not relevant.
Some errors may arise in cases where NACE classifications are missing from the registers and estimation is required. Estimated data are not subject to later revision.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
There is a possibility of some errors, as newly registered legal units are not required to specify their economic activity at the time of registration. As a result, a portion of these newly registered units do not have a NACE code in the statistical register at the time of data compilation. Since it is not possible to report legal units without a NACE code to Eurostat, these units are estimated by proportionally distributing them across the existing NACE sectors. For the fourth quarter of 2024, such estimates accounted for 6.6% of total registrations.
14.1. Timeliness
The data are transmitted to Eurostat and disseminated to national users in 40 days after the end of the reference period.
14.2. Punctuality
All the data is sent to EUROSTAT on time.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Statistical information is comparable in the entire national territory. It also should be fully comparable between EU countries as data is produced according to EBS Regulation.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Statistical information is fully comparable.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
The number of registered economic entities and the bankruptcies are not published by other statistical domains.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Statistical information is fully internally coherent.
Administrative data sources are used, which eliminates any statistical reporting burden on respondents. Data preparation requires minimal manual intervention by employees.
17.1. Data revision - policy
The same revision policy is applied nationally and for transmission to Eurostat.
Statistical Business Register (information is obtained from the State Enterprise Centre of Registers)
State Tax Inspectorate under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Data from administrative source are received on a daily basis.
18.3. Data collection
Data are collected from the direct access to an administrative data source.
18.4. Data validation
Statistical data are compared with the data of the previous periods, differences are analysed. Outstanding values of indicators are identified and analysed. In case of significant deviations, data sources are checked and reasons for their deviation are explained.
Before sending the data to Eurostat, data series are pre-validated in EDAMIS PROD, conducting checks of format and file structure, intra-dataset checks. Inter-dataset checks, intra-domain, inter-source checks, plausibility or consistency checks between the data available in the Institution and the data / information available outside the Institution are not conducted.
18.5. Data compilation
The data are calculated and published as absolute value direct from administrative source.
Data are aggregated by economic activities according to EBS Regulation (B to N, and P to R and divisions S95 and S96). The aggregated data are stored in SDMX-CSV format for transmission to Eurostat.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
No comment.
The aim is to compile and provide statistical information for users about the number of registered economic entities and bankruptcies on a quarterly basis.
Quarterly Business Demography (QBD) includes two indices:
Registrations - total number of registrations at any time during a given quarter q, according to the respective administrative or legal procedure, which leads to the entry of a legal unit in the registration authority register.
Bankruptcies - total number of legal units that have started the procedure of being declared bankrupt, by issuing a legal declaration of a court, at any time during a given quarter q (which is often provisional and does not always mean the cessation of an activity).
26 May 2025
Number of registrations - the number of entered legal units in the registration register at any time during the reference quarter q, according to the respective administrative or legal procedure.
Numbers of bankruptcies -the number of legal units that have started the procedure of being declared bankrupt, by issuing a court declaration, at any time during the reference quarter q (which is often provisional and does not always mean cessation of an activity).
Observation unit(s) is legal unit.
Market activities covered include NACE Sections B to N, and P to R and divisions S95 and S96, including sole proprietors (excluding natural persons engaged in economic activity in their own right).
Statistical information is prepared at a national level.
One quarter.
The survey is based on the following sources:
Statistical Business Register (information is obtained from the State Enterprise Centre of Registers)
State Tax Inspectorate under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania.
Since quarterly business demography indicators are event-based statistics derived from complete enumeration, sampling and non-sampling errors are not relevant.
Some errors may arise in cases where NACE classifications are missing from the registers and estimation is required. Estimated data are not subject to later revision.
Absolute value.
The data are calculated and published as absolute value direct from administrative source.
Data are aggregated by economic activities according to EBS Regulation (B to N, and P to R and divisions S95 and S96). The aggregated data are stored in SDMX-CSV format for transmission to Eurostat.
Administrative data sources:
Statistical Business Register (information is obtained from the State Enterprise Centre of Registers)
State Tax Inspectorate under the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania.
The data are transmitted to Eurostat and disseminated to national users on quartely basis.
The data are transmitted to Eurostat and disseminated to national users in 40 days after the end of the reference period.
Statistical information is comparable in the entire national territory. It also should be fully comparable between EU countries as data is produced according to EBS Regulation.
