Publication Details
Abstract
Start-ups are increasingly targeted by public policy, yet official statistics in most emerging economies do not measure how much investment start-ups actually receive or what economic results follow. This paper develops a register-based methodological framework for the statistical measurement of investment in start-ups and its performance and pilots it on data for Uzbekistan and its regions for 2021–2024. The framework defines the start-up enterprise, identified by its taxpayer identification number (TIN) in the Unified State Register of Enterprises and Organisations, as the statistical unit; integrates the national start-up registry, the business register, enterprise statistical reports and administrative data through deterministic record linkage; counts only funds actually disbursed and received; and applies explicit rules against double counting. Nine indicators are organised in two blocks – volume, coverage and structure, and performance – each anchored in national – accounts, business demography and investment-efficiency concepts and complemented by a cohort design. The pilot shows that total start-up funding rose from 26.2 to 176.8 billion UZS, remained highly concentrated in Tashkent city (87–94%) and was financed overwhelmingly by resident sponsors and own funds (82–96%), with foreign and debt sources marginal. Revenue per 100 UZS of funding reached 20.7 UZS in 2024, whereas revenue growth per 100 UZS of funding fell to 2.3 UZS. Extreme ratios in regions with very small denominators, and coverage rates above 100%, reveal population inconsistencies between sources and underline the need for register-based integration. The framework can serve as a basis for experimental official statistics on start-up investment in Uzbekistan and comparable economies.