AS per a new OECD Report, start-ups rates in most countries are slowly bouncing back toward their pre-crisis levels, but not all countries have seen significant acceleration in new businesses. Most would-be entrepreneurs see far greater opportunities in the service sectors than in manufacturing. And women are far less likely than men to open their own businesses.

These are among the insights in the latest edition of Entrepreneurship at a Glance 2012, which gives an overview of enterpreneurship in OECD countries. Using indicators developed with the European Union’s statistical arm Eurostat, as well as those from national statistics offices, the report explains how access to finance, market conditions, regulatory frameworks and cultural perceptions can boost or harm entrepreneurial activity.

New data on enterprise creations and bankruptcies shows the major impact that the economic and financial crisis has had on entrepreneurial activity. Start-up rates fell precipitously from mid-2008 in all OECD countries where data are available. Momentum slowed again in early-2011 in most countries but has since shown tentative signs of a pick-up.

France has shown the most spectacular increase in new businesses, due to introduction of a simplified start-up procedure. Australia and the United Kingdom have reported robust growth in business creation in late-2011 and Norway has grown steadily, but the number of newly created enterprises remains below its pre-crisis level in most countries surveyed, according to the report.