United Kingdom's new businesses registered (number) was 841,138 in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 43.62% from 585,672 in 2014 (3.69% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 841,138 | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 684,874 | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 585,672 | 2014 |
| Highest | 874,419 | 2023 |
| Lowest | 362,322 | 2008 |
| Average since 2015 | 730,487 | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 403,860 | 2006 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, United Kingdom's new businesses registered (number) fell 3.8% on 2023 (from 874,419 to 841,138).
Across the 17 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2023), the average change was +5% and a typical year strayed about 8.3% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 13.2% in 2011 and the biggest yearly fall was 19.9% in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 28,646 a year. A straight line explains 91% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about 948,310 for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 26,604, against 68,601 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
How it compares
In 2024, United Kingdom had the 2nd highest value of the 127 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
Closest to United Kingdom in the 2024 ranking
- Brazil — 1st of 127: 979,211
- South Africa — 3rd of 127: 494,475
- Australia — 4th of 127: 316,561
- China — 5th of 127: 286,640
What this measures
New businesses registered are the number of new limited liability corporations (or its equivalent) registered in the calendar year.
Limitations: The definition of entrepreneurship used is limited to the formal sector. Yet, it should be noted that the exclusion of the informal sector is based on the difficulties of quantifying the number of firms that compose it, rather than on its relevance for developing economies. Data collected from economies categorized as offshore financial centers by Eurostat are excluded from the analysis, because registered entities in these countries may not fit the objective of the Entrepreneurship Database aiming at measuring formally registered companies with actual economic activities.
All 19 values
| Year | New businesses registered (number) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 841,138 |
| 2023 | 874,419 |
| 2022 | 790,311 |
| 2021 | 766,688 |
| 2020 | 774,854 |
| 2019 | 684,874 |
| 2018 | 664,974 |
| 2017 | 632,517 |
| 2016 | 663,616 |
| 2015 | 611,478 |
| 2014 |
New businesses registered (number) in nearby economies
More private sector & trade data for United Kingdom
- Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 37.59% (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$948.64 billion (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$555.83 billion (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports (% of merchandise imports) — 1.06% (2025)
- Food imports (% of merchandise imports) — 9.8% (2025)
- Fuel imports (% of merchandise imports) — 8.11% (2025)
- Manufactures imports (% of merchandise imports) — 56.67% (2025)
- Ores and metals imports (% of merchandise imports) — 3.35% (2025)
- Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World (% of total merchandise imports)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is United Kingdom's new businesses registered (number)?
- 841,138 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2006?
- It is up 108.27% from 403,860 in 2006 (4.16% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 874,419 in 2023 and the lowest 362,322 in 2008.
- How does United Kingdom rank?
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator IC.BUS.NREG, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Entrepreneurship Database, World Bank (WB), uri: https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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