Official Statistics

Business population estimates 2026

Annual business population estimates for the UK and regions in 2026.

• From: Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
• Published: 5 November 2026

Documents

Business population estimates for the UK and regions 2026: statistical release

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Business population estimates for the UK and regions 2026: methodology note

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Business population estimates for the UK and regions 2026: detailed tables (ODS)

ODS, 520 KB

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Business population estimates for the UK and regions 2026: data for charts and tables in statistical release

ODS, 13.7 KB

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Business population estimates for the UK and regions 2026: detailed tables (MS Excel)

MS Excel Spreadsheet, 607 KB

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Details

The business population estimates for the UK and regions (BPE) provide the only official estimate of the total number of private sector businesses in the UK at the start of each year.

Business population estimates 2026 is the latest in the annual publication of business population estimates.

The status of the 2026 publication remains as official statistics in development this year.

This publication differs from other official statistics outputs produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Value Added Tax (VAT) traders and Pay As You Earn (PAYE) employers. The ‘Guide to Business Statistics’ sets out the differences. The business population estimates provide further information broken down by number of employees, legal status, industry and geography.

The department’s Pre-release Access to Official Statistics Order 2008: statement of compliance sets out the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST)’s operational arrangements for giving ministers and officials pre-release access to official statistics once they have attained their final form prior to publication.

Future release dates will be announced on the GOV.UK release calendar.

Get in touch

Send comments or feedback about the report to business.statistics@businessandtrade.gov.uk.