Northern Ireland Business Demography 2024
Business demography tracks how a region's stock of enterprises changes — active businesses, new births and closures (deaths). In 2024, Northern Ireland had 66,000 active businesses, 2.3% of the UK total.
Quick answer
Northern Ireland had 66,000 active businesses in 2024 (2.3% of the UK). It recorded 6,000 business births (9.1%) and 5,000 deaths (7.6%), a net gain of 1,000 enterprises. Source: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence.
Northern Ireland in context
Northern Ireland's 66,000 active businesses represent 2.3% of the 2,860,000 active businesses across the UK in 2024. Its birth rate of 9.1% compares with a UK-wide birth rate of 11.1%, and its death rate of 7.6% compares with 9.8% nationally.
Compare other regions
| Region / nation | Active businesses |
|---|---|
| London | 595,000 |
| South East | 431,000 |
| East of England | 286,000 |
| North West | 284,000 |
← See all 12 UK regions and nations
Frequently asked questions
How many active businesses are there in Northern Ireland?
Northern Ireland had 66,000 active businesses in 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics. That is 2.3% of the UK total of 2,860,000 active businesses.
How many businesses opened and closed in Northern Ireland?
In 2024, Northern Ireland recorded 6,000 business births (a birth rate of 9.1%) and 5,000 business deaths (a death rate of 7.6%), a net gain of 1,000 enterprises.
What does "active business" mean here?
An active business is an enterprise that had either turnover or employment at any point during 2024. A birth is a genuinely new enterprise; a death is one that stopped trading and did not reactivate within two years. These are ONS Business demography definitions.
Where does the Northern Ireland data come from?
From "Office for National Statistics — Business demography, UK: 2024", published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 2025-11-20 under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3). ONS rounds figures to the nearest thousand, and the regional counts 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.
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.