Sole traders in Australia
4,161,447 people hold an active ABN as a sole trader, 47% of every active ABN on the Australian Business Register. These figures are counts only: no individual is named or identifiable here.
- Active sole traders
- 4,161,447
- 3,329 postcodes
- Registered for GST
- 28%
- turnover of $75,000 or more, or chose to register
- Trade under a business name
- 33%
- rather than only their own name
- New in the last 12 months
- 622,185
- 886,694 cancelled in the same period
Registrations and cancellations
Sole-trader ABNs registered and cancelled each month, last three years.
By state
| State | Sole traders | GST | New, 12 months | Change on prior year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 1,319,730 | 29% | 193,954 | +10% |
| Victoria | 1,167,249 | 29% | 164,996 | +8% |
| Queensland | 840,405 | 26% | 134,399 | +16% |
| Western Australia | 424,440 | 27% | 70,705 | +17% |
| South Australia | 253,972 | 27% | 36,285 | +11% |
| Tasmania | 68,528 | 30% | 8,419 | +16% |
| Australian Capital Territory | 57,994 | 27% | 8,882 | +13% |
| Northern Territory | 29,129 | 29% | 4,545 | +10% |
How long they've held their ABN
- Under 1 year23%
- 1 to 3 years25%
- 3 to 10 years30%
- 10 years or more21%
Measured from the date the ABN became active.
Postcodes with the most sole traders
The share registered within the last year shows where new sole traders are concentrating.
| Postcode | Sole traders | GST | Business name | Under 1 year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3029 Hoppers Crossing +2 VIC | 43,337 | 41% | 16% | 21% |
| 3064 Craigieburn +4 VIC | 29,575 | 39% | 23% | 22% |
| 3000 Melbourne VIC | 27,626 | 16% | 12% | 32% |
| 3977 Botanic Ridge +11 VIC | 22,149 | 33% | 27% | 22% |
| 3030 Chartwell +5 VIC | 21,403 | 33% | 27% | 23% |
| 2000 Barangaroo +8 NSW | 20,809 | 25% | 18% | 26% |
| 2170 Casula +11 NSW | 18,579 | 33% | 30% | 23% |
| 2145 Constitution Hill +8 NSW | 17,385 | 35% | 22% | 23% |
| 4217 Benowa +12 QLD | 16,918 | 16% | 20% | 29% |
| 3978 Cardinia +2 VIC | 15,797 | 37% | 19% | 24% |
| 2148 Arndell Park +6 NSW | 15,485 | 35% | 19% | 21% |
| 4350 Athol +51 QLD | 15,340 | 28% | 33% | 25% |
| 4215 Australia Fair +7 QLD | 15,297 | 20% | 24% | 27% |
| 4000 Brisbane +8 QLD | 15,133 | 15% | 11% | 35% |
| 4209 Canowindra +4 QLD | 14,726 | 25% | 31% | 28% |
| 4870 Aeroglen +31 QLD | 14,261 | 24% | 31% | 27% |
| 6107 Beckenham +6 WA | 13,837 | 32% | 15% | 25% |
| 3175 Bangholme +5 VIC | 13,209 | 36% | 22% | 19% |
| 6112 Armadale +12 WA | 11,855 | 31% | 27% | 27% |
| 2144 Auburn +1 NSW | 11,806 | 35% | 15% | 21% |
Source: Australian Business Register bulk extract (© Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 3.0 AU), active ABNs with the entity type “Individual/Sole Trader”. Location is the postcode on the ABN record. In postcodes with fewer than 10 sole traders only the total is used, so no figure describes a handful of people. Concave Intel never shows or researches an individual sole trader's record.