The number of companies operating in South Korea increased 10.4 percent in 2012 compared with five years earlier, a report showed Friday.

According to the report by Statistics Korea, the number of companies doing business here stood at 3.6 million as of the end of 2012, up from 3.26 million tallied in 2007.

The facility maintenance and business support sector led the increase by posting a 47.2 percent gain during the cited period.

The publication, broadcasting and information service sector followed with a 39.1 percent gain, and the health and social welfare service sector came next with a 37.1 percent rise.

The number of people on payroll also grew sharply over the cited period.

The report showed that a total of 18.57 million people remained employed as of the end of 2012, which is a 16.5 percent growth from 15.94 million registered five years earlier.

The health and social welfare service sector saw their payroll grow the most, at 52.4 percent, over the past five years, followed by the facility maintenance and business support sector with a 37.9 percent rise, according to the report. (Yonhap News)