There were 42,010 small businesses in Tasmania, representing 2% of Australian small businesses on 30 June 2023. This is in proportion to the 2% of Australians living in Tasmania1.
1 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional Population, 2021-22, Accessed 15 January 2024
Table 1: Small businesses in Tasmania, 30 June 2023
Source: Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics, customised data, 2023.
As shown above, 56% of Tasmania’s small businesses were in the rest of Tasmanian areas on 30 June 2023. This aligns with the population distribution, with 56% of the population living outside the greater capital city area of Tasmania.
Table 2: Businesses in Tasmania by size, 30 June 2023
* Includes businesses where information is only available at the state/territory level.
1 This includes a small number of businesses which have income tax withholding roles for purposes other than withholding amounts from wages and salaries (and as such have zero employment).
2Calculated by 91ÖÆÆ¬³§ based on the ABS definition of small business of 0-19 employees.
Source: Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics, customised data, 2023.
Changes in small businesses numbers for Tasmania
Chart 1: Annual change in the number of small businesses in Tasmania
| Greater Hobart | Rest of Tas | Tasmania Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 4.7 | 1.2 | 2.7 |
| 2020 | 6.4 | 2.3 | 4.1 |
| 2021 | 4.6 | 3.2 | 3.8 |
| 2022 | 4.0 | 5.2 | 4.6 |
| 2023 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 1.7 |
Total includes a small number of businesses where information is only available at the state/territory level.
Source: Based on Australian Bureau of Statistics, customised data, 2023.
The number of small businesses in Tasmania increased 2% over the year to 30 June 2023. They increased by 533 (3%) in Greater Hobart. The areas with the largest increase in the number of small businesses were:
- Rokeby (increased by 59 small businesses)
- Glenorchy (increased by 52 small businesses)
- Sorell - Richmond (increased by 47 small businesses)
- Bellerive – Rosny (increased by 47 small businesses).
The areas with the largest percentage increase from the previous year were:
- Rokeby (increased by 24%)
- New Norfolk (increased by 20%)
- Austins Ferry – Granton (increased by 13%).
The number of small businesses in the rest of Tasmania increased by 152 (1%) over the year to 30 June 2023. The areas with the largest increase in the number of small businesses were:
- Riverside (increased by 31 small businesses)
- Legana (increased by 28 small businesses)
- St Helens - Scamander (increased by 27 small businesses).
The areas with the largest percentage increase from the previous year were:
- Ravenswood (increased by 31%, to 68 small businesses)
- Romaine - Havenview (increased by 14%, to 96 small businesses)
- Legana (increased by 10%, to 298 small businesses).