Business
Information about Northern Territory (NT) businesses, including total business count, types of businesses and businesses by region.
You can also download the NT business count snapshot.
NT business count
| Number as at 30 June 2019 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory | 14,429 | 14,470 | 14,769 | 15,072 |
| Australia | 2,238,299 | 2,313,291 | 2,375,753 | 2,422,404 |
Source: ABS Cat No 8165
NT businesses by ANZSIC division*
| Number as at 30 June 2020 | 2019-20 | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 911 | 6.0 |
| Mining | 93 | 0.6 |
| Manufacturing | 474 | 3.1 |
| Electricity, gas, water and waste services | 52 | 0.3 |
| Construction | 2,838 | 18.8 |
| Wholesale trade | 323 | 2.1 |
| Retail trade | 940 | 6.2 |
| Accommodation and food services | 764 | 5.1 |
| Transport, postal and warehousing | 1,327 | 8.8 |
| Information media and telecommunications | 104 | 0.7 |
| Financial and insurance services | 928 | 6.1 |
| Rental, hiring and real estate services | 1,909 | 12.6 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 1,448 | 9.6 |
| Administrative and support services | 752 | 5.0 |
| Public administration and safety | 59 | 0.4 |
| Education and training | 188 | 1.2 |
| Health care and social assistance | 855 | 5.7 |
| Arts and recreation services | 205 | 1.4 |
| Other Services | 891 | 5.9 |
| Not categorised | 43 | 0.3 |
* The confidentiality process will round data in such a way that the data presented at these detailed levels will not always be additive.
Source: ABS Cat No 8165
NT businesses by region*
| Number as at 30 June 2020 | 2019-20 | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Darwin City | 3,601 | 24.3 |
| Darwin suburbs | 3,797 | 25.6 |
| Litchfield | 1,833 | 12.4 |
| Palmerston | 1,728 | 11.7 |
| Alice Springs | 2,092 | 14.1 |
| Barkly | 198 | 1.3 |
| Daly - Tiwi - West Arnhem | 361 | 2.4 |
| East Arnhem | 253 | 1.7 |
| Katherine | 956 | 6.5 |
| Currently unknown | 154 | 1.2 |
* The confidentiality process will round data in such a way that the data presented at these detailed levels will not always be additive.
Source: ABS Cat No 8165
NT business size
| Number as at 30 June 2020 | 2019-20 | % of total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (<20 employees) | 14,390 | 96.2 | |
| Non-employing | 9,098 | 60.8 | |
| 1-19 employees | 5,292 | 35.4 | |
| Medium (20-199 employees) | 546 | 3.6 | |
| Large (≥200 employees) | 34 | 0.2 | |
| Total | 14,970 | 100.0 | |
* Time series data has been revised as of February 2016
Source: ABS Cat No 8165
Corporate insolvency
| Number of businesses Companies entering external administration | Dec 19 | Sep 20 | Dec 20 | Previous qtr % change | Annual % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory | 8 | 2 | 4 | 100.0 | -50.0 |
| Australia | 2,103 | 946 | 1,047 | 10.7 | -50.2 |
Source: Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC)
Personnel business related insolvency
| Number | Sep 19 | Jun 20 | Sep 20 | Previous qtr % change | Annual % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory | 16 | 56 | 36 | -35.7 | 250.0 | |
| Bankruptcies | 15 | 35 | 15 | -57.1 | 133.3 | |
| Debt agreements | 1 | 21 | 21 | 0.0 | 2000.0 | |
| Personal insolvency agreements | 0 | 0 | 0 | n/a | n/a | |
| Australia | 1,124 | 4,304 | 2,988 | -30.6 | 282.9 | |
| Bankruptcies | 939 | 1,990 | 1,718 | -13.7 | 111.9 | |
| Debt agreements | 165 | 1,990 | 1,247 | -37.3 | 1,106.1 | |
| Personal insolvency agreements | 20 | 45 | 23 | -48.9 | 125.0 | |
Source: Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA)
Business confidence
| Business index (net balance*) | Dec 19 | Sep 20 | Dec 20 | Previous qtr change ppt | Annual change ppt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DITT survey | |||||
| Northern Territory | 52 | 42 | 67 | 25 | 15 |
| Sensis® survey** (March 2020) | Extremely confident | Fairly confident | Neutral | Fairly worried | Extremely worried |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory (%) | 11.4 | 28.6 | 28.6 | 14.3 | 17.1 |
| Australia (%) | 10.4 | 27.6 | 22.0 | 27.3 | 12.7 |
* Net balance is defined as the difference between the percentage who are confident (+) and the percentage who are worried (-).
** The Sensis index is based on a new methodology and do not report on a net balance approach. The sample size for the NT was only ten businesses.
Source: Sensis® Business index, Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade NT business confidence survey
Consumer sentiment index
| Index | Feb 20 | Jan 21 | Feb 21 | Monthly % change | Annual % change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 95.5 | 107.0 | 109.1 | 1.9 | 14.2 |
Source: Westpac Melbourne Institute
Exchange rate
| Monthly average - units of foreign currency per $A | Feb 20 | Jan 21 | Feb 21 | Monthly % change | Annual % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA Dollar | 0.65 | 0.76 | 0.78 | 2.6 | 20.0 | |
| Chinese Renminbi | 4.57 | 4.94 | 5.06 | 2.4 | 10.7 | |
| Japanese Yen | 71.09 | 79.90 | 83.10 | 4.0 | 16.9 | |
| Euro | 0.59 | 0.63 | 0.64 | 1.6 | 8.5 | |
| Singapore Dollar | 0.91 | 1.01 | 1.04 | 3.0 | 14.3 | |
| Trade-weighted index (May 1970 = 100) | 57.00 | 63.00 | 64.50 | 2.4 | 13.2 | |
Source: Reserve Bank of Australia
Last updated: 12 March 2021
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