title: Statistical business register
text: # Statistical business register
  
  A statistical business register (SBR) plays a central part in a system of official economic statistics at a national statistics office.
  
  A company register has a different purpose: protection, accountability and control of legal entities.
  
  ## Register contents
  
  ### Data sources
  
  Countries use whatever data sources they seem relevant. E.g. they often integrate a company register in one form or another.
  
  ### Type of business units
  
  In EU a corresponding regulation define register contents:
  
  * all enterprises carrying on economic activities contributing to the gross domestic product (GDP), and their local units
  * the legal units of which those enterprises consist
  * enterprise groups
  
  ### Characteristics
  
  * identification properties
     * identification number
     * name
     * address
     * contact info
     * VAT number
  * dates of creation/liquidation
  * main activity
  * operational status
  * legal form
  * links to other registries
  * links to other organizations or structural units
  * control
  * ownership
  * employees
  
  ## Business registries in the world
  
  United Nations Economic Commission for Europe provides Guidelines on Statistical Business Registers which describes the roles of the statistical business register.
  
  European Commission provides a legal framework for business registers for statistical purposes.
  
  See: List of company, tax and statistical business registers
  
  