UK Business Demography 2024
Business demography measures how the UK's stock of enterprises changes over a year — how many businesses are active, how many are newly created (births) and how many cease trading (deaths). In 2024 the UK had 2,860,000 active businesses.
Quick answer
In 2024 the UK had 2,860,000 active businesses. There were 317,000 business births (a birth rate of 11.1%) and 280,000 business deaths (a death rate of 9.8%), a net gain of 37,000 enterprises. London has the most businesses of any region or nation. Figures are from the Office for National Statistics, published under the Open Government Licence. Select a region below for its full breakdown.
Active businesses by UK region
All 12 UK regions and nations, ranked by active business population in 2024. Select any region for its births, deaths, net change and survival context.
| Region / nation | Active | Births | Deaths | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 595,000 | 76,000 | 61,000 | +15,000 |
| South East | 431,000 | 43,000 | 39,000 | +4,000 |
| East of England | 286,000 | 30,000 | 27,000 | +3,000 |
| North West | 284,000 | 34,000 | 30,000 | +4,000 |
| South West | 233,000 | 22,000 | 21,000 | +1,000 |
| West Midlands | 229,000 | 27,000 | 24,000 | +3,000 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 200,000 | 23,000 | 20,000 | +3,000 |
| East Midlands | 188,000 | 20,000 | 19,000 | +1,000 |
| Scotland | 172,000 | 18,000 | 16,000 | +2,000 |
| Wales | 100,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | +0 |
| North East | 77,000 | 9,000 | 8,000 | +1,000 |
| Northern Ireland | 66,000 | 6,000 | 5,000 | +1,000 |
| United Kingdom (total) | 2,860,000 | 317,000 | 280,000 | +37,000 |
Frequently asked questions
How many active businesses are there in the UK?
There were 2,860,000 active businesses in the UK in 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Business demography release. An "active" business is one that had either turnover or employment at any point during the reference year.
What is a business birth and a business death?
A business birth is the creation of a new enterprise that did not exist in the previous year — a genuinely new economic unit rather than a reactivation or a change of ownership. A business death is an enterprise that ceased to trade and did not reactivate within two years. In 2024 the UK recorded 317,000 births and 280,000 deaths.
Did more UK businesses open or close in 2024?
More opened than closed. The UK saw 317,000 business births against 280,000 deaths in 2024, a net gain of 37,000 enterprises (a birth rate of 11.1% versus a death rate of 9.8%).
Which UK region has the most businesses?
London has the largest active business population of any UK region or nation, reflecting its concentration of company headquarters, professional services and small firms. Use the table below to compare every region.
Where does this UK business demography data come from?
All figures are published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in "Office for National Statistics — Business demography, UK: 2024", released 2025-11-20. The data is Crown copyright, made available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3). ONS rounds counts to the nearest thousand; regional figures sum to the UK total.
Source: Office for National Statistics — Business demography, UK: 2024, Office for National Statistics (ONS). Released 2025-11-20. ONS bulletin · reference tables.
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3) — Crown copyright. Figures rounded by ONS to the nearest thousand. Regional counts sum to the UK total (verified).
Page last reviewed 2026-06-27.
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