South Australia

There were 155,221 small businesses in South Australia on 30 June 2023, representing 6% of all Australian small businesses (compared to 7% of the population living in South Australia¹).

_{¹Australian Bureau of Statistics, Regional Population, 2021-22, Accessed 15 January 2024}

Table 1: Small business in South Australia, 30 June 2023

_{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.

Greater Adelaide

Over three quarters (76%) of South Australian small businesses were in Greater Adelaide on 30 June 2023. This is consistent with South Australia’s population distribution, as over three quarters of South Australians live in the Greater Adelaide area.

The Greater Adelaide areas with the highest number of small businesses were:

Adelaide City (12,024 small businesses), 87% of these were in Adelaide
Onkaparinga (9,845 small businesses), 10% of these were in McLaren Vale and 8% were in Aldinga.
Charles Sturt (9,527 small businesses), 19% of these were in Hindmarsh – Brompton.
Salisbury (8,684 small businesses), 15% of these were in Mawson Lakes – Globe Derby Park and 12% were in Parafield Gardens.
Adelaide Hills (7,342 small businesses), 25% of these were in Aldgate – Stirling.

Regional South Australia

There were 36,404 small businesses in the rest of South Australia, accounting for 23% of South Australia’s small businesses on 30 June 2023. The highest number of small businesses were in:

Limestone Coast (7,563 small businesses), 30% of these were in Mount Gambier and surrounds and 14% were in Tatiara.
Murray and Mallee (6,569 small businesses), 15% of these were in Murray Bridge and 11% were in The Coorong.
Eyre Peninsula and South West (4,960 small businesses), 32% of these were in Port Lincoln.
Fleurieu – Kangaroo Island (4,800 small businesses), 33% of these were in Strathalbyn and surrounds and 21% were in Victor Harbor.
Barossa (3,619 small businesses), 26% of these were in Light.

Table 2: Businesses in South Australia 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 ASBFEO 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 South Australia

Chart 1: Annual change in the number of small businesses in South Australia

	Greater Adelaide	Rest of South Australia	South Australia Total
2019	2.5	0.0	1.9
2020	2.2	0.1	1.6
2021	3.2	2.0	2.9
2022	6.5	3.0	5.6
2023	0.9	0.8	0.9

_{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, 2022.

There was a 1% increase in the number of small businesses in South Australia in the year to 30 June 2023. They increased by 1,103 (1%) in Greater Adelaide. The areas with the largest increase in the number of small businesses were:

Salisbury (increased by 509 small businesses)
Port Adelaide – East (increased by 423 small businesses)
Adelaide City (increased by 250 small businesses).

The areas with the largest increase by percent from the year prior were:

Port Adelaide – East (increased by 7%)
Salisbury (increased by 6%)
Playford (increased by 5%).

The number of small businesses in the rest of South Australia increased by 285 (1%) over the year to 30 June 2023. The areas with the largest increase in the number of small businesses were:

Fleurieu – Kangaroo Island (increased by 150 small businesses)
Outback – North and East, including Port Augusta (increased by 85 small businesses)
Limestone Coast (increased by 75 small businesses)
Barossa (increased by 75 small businesses).

The areas with the largest percentage increase from the previous year were: