Official Statistics

Companies register activities: statistical release April 2025 to March 2026

Published 25 June 2026

This is the final release of the Companies House Official Statistics publication in its current format.

We are developing new statistics to better meet user needs and reflect changes in data availability and methods. These developments will improve the accuracy and quality of the information that we publish.

Further information about planned changes, including timescales and opportunities for user engagement, will be published in due course. During this period, users should continue to use the statistics in this release.

With this in mind, we have noticed discrepancies within tables for the release. Under the Companies Act 2006, the registrar may strike a company’s name from the register. Historically, the registrar struck a company off the register by striking a line through the relevant entry in a ledger. Now, strike off happens when an entry is made against a company on the digital register, then a system request is sent for the creation of a second notice to be published in the London, Edinburgh or Belfast Gazette.

When a company is “struck off”, it is immediately removed from the register (no further documents can be filed), but it is not legally dissolved until the second notice is published in the Gazette, usually the following Tuesday. Sometimes, a company is struck off in one quarter but not legally dissolved until the next quarter.

This timing means that the reduction in the total register size could be counted in one month, but the dissolution could be counted in the next. As a result, the register can show an increase even if dissolutions outnumber incorporations and restorations, and vice versa.

1. Other statistics in this release

The tables that accompany this release include:

• register activity for all companies
• the age of companies
• overseas companies with a UK establishment
• register activity for public limited companies (PLCs), limited liability partnerships (LLPs), limited partnerships (LPs) and other corporate body types
• company insolvencies and liquidations
• companies removed from the register
• directors and shareholders
• standard industrial classification (SIC) codes related to the 2007 classification

The statistics in this release are presented by financial year, unless otherwise stated, which runs from 1 April to 31 March. This release focuses on the financial year starting on 1 April 2025 and ending on 31 March 2026.

2. Main points

The main things to note in this statistical release are that:

• the total register size at the end of financial year ending (FYE) 2026 was 5,479,045, an increase of 0.94% compared with the end of FYE 2025
• there were 815,277 company incorporations in FYE 2026, an increase of 1.67% compared with FYE 2025
• in FYE 2026 there were 787,120 dissolutions, an increase of 8.31% compared with FYE 2025
• the average age of a company on the total register at the end of FYE 2026 was 9.2 years
• private limited companies have accounted for over 95% of corporate bodies on the register for 10 years
• Companies House introduced identity verification on the 18 November 2025 as a legal requirement as part of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 (ECCT Act 2023)
• on 1 February 2026, Companies House increased fees for incorporation and registration documents

3. Changes in the companies register

The total register size was 5,479,045 at the end of FYE 2026. This number includes companies in the process of dissolution and liquidation (548,411). The total register increased by 51,258 companies (0.94%) compared with the end of FYE 2025.

The effective register size, which does not include companies in the process of dissolution or liquidation, was 4,930,634 at the end of FYE 2026.

The total register changes for the constituent countries compared with the end of FYE 2025 are:

• an increase of 48,014 (0.95%) companies in England and Wales
• an increase of 6,434 (2.39%) companies in Scotland
• a decrease of 3,190 (3.44%) companies in Northern Ireland

Figure 3.1: The number of companies on the total register reached 5,479,045 by 31 March 2026

Total register size by region, UK companies register, FYE 2026

Source: Companies register activities FYE 2026, Companies House

This graphic shows that by 31 March 2026, there were:

• 5,114,182 companies in England and Wales
• 275,310 companies in Scotland
• 89,553 companies in Northern Ireland

There were 815,277 company incorporations during FYE 2026, an increase of 13,413 (1.67%) compared with FYE 2025. The changes in the number of company incorporations across all constituent countries compared with FYE 2025 are:

• an increase of 14,644 (1.96%) companies in England and Wales
• an increase of 2,731 (7.13%) companies in Scotland
• a decrease of 3,962 (26.24%) companies in Northern Ireland

There were 787,120 dissolutions in FYE 2026, an increase of 8.31% compared with FYE 2025.

Figure 3.2: Incorporations increased by 1.67%, while dissolutions increased by 8.31%, during FYE 2026

Incorporations and dissolutions, UK companies register, FYE 1994 to FYE 2026; “Creation of UK register” refers to the merging of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland registers

Source: Companies register activities FYE 2026, Companies House

During FYE 2026 there were:

• 23,488 insolvent liquidations, a year-on-year decrease of 3.06%
• 8,569 members’ voluntary liquidations, a decrease of 31.88% compared with FYE 2025
• 35,318 liquidations and other insolvency proceedings in total, a decrease of 11.35% compared with FYE 2025

For more information, go to Company insolvency statistics releases.

There is a full breakdown of company statistics for England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the UK in table A1 of the statistical tables that accompany this release The tables contain figures for FYE 2017 through to FYE 2026. There are separate figures for private companies and public limited companies in tables A2 and A3, respectively. There are liquidation and insolvency figures in table A10.

4. Historic changes in register size

Companies House began reporting on financial years in 1987 in the annual release but was only reporting on Great Britain. Since then, the total register has increased by over 4.4 million companies. Changes over this time have included:

• Becoming a UK register in October 2009 where there was an exercise to remove defunct companies that had spent a long time in the process of dissolution or liquidation, completed in May 2009
• Legislative changes have included full implementation of the Companies Act 2006, Small Business, Enterprise and Employment (SBEE) Act 2015 and Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act (ECCTA) 2023.

Figure 4.1: The total register sizes increased by 0.94%, while the effective register size increased by 1.20%, during FYE 2026

Total and effective register size, UK companies register, FYE 1994 to FYE 2026. “Creation of UK register” refers to the merging of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland registers

Source: Companies register activities FYE 2026, Companies House

On 4 March 2024, legislation was introduced to allow Companies House to assist in tackling economic crime under the ECCT Act 2023. The data included in this release is up to 31 March 2026.

More information about the ECCT Act 2023. 

Table A8 in the tables that accompany this release shows the:

• total and effective register sizes from 1939 to FYE 2026
• annual number of incorporations, dissolutions, liquidations and insolvencies

5. Age of companies on the register

The average age of UK companies was 9.2 years on the total register at the end of FYE 2026.

On the total register for FYE 2026:

• 45.42% of companies were under 5 years old
• 68.58% of companies were under 10 years old
• 87.94% of companies were under 20 years old
• 12.06% of companies were over 20 years old

Figure 5.1: Over 30% of companies on the total register were 1 to 4 years old at the end of FYE 2026

Age of companies on the UK companies register, FYE 2026

Source: Companies register activities FYE 2026, Companies House

Since FYE 2000, the average age of a company on the register has declined. Around FYE 2010, there was an increase, showing where Northern Ireland had joined the register. Since then, the average age has fluctuated around 8.5 years. Over the last 6 years, there has been a slight upward trend, resulting in the average age of a company on the total register reaching 9.2 years at the end of FYE 2026.

Figure 5.2: The average age of a company on the total register was 9.2 years at the end of FYE 2026

Average age of a company on the UK companies register, FYE 2000 to FYE 2026

Source: Companies register activities FYE 2026, Companies House

The average age of a dissolved or closed company has fluctuated around the 5 year mark since FYE 2017, with the age in FYE 2026 being 4.93 years.

The average age of a dissolved or closed corporate body has remained generally stable, being 5 years in FYE 2017 and 4.94 in FYE 2026.

Table A5 in the tables that accompany this release shows:

• the ages of companies on the total and effective registers at 31 March 2026
• the ages of companies in liquidation or the course of dissolution at 31 March 2026
• the average age of a company from FYE 2000 to FYE 2026

Table A11 shows the average age of dissolved and closed companies from FYE 2017 to FYE 2026.

Table C3 shows average ages at closure and dissolution across all corporate body types.

6. Types of corporate body on the register

There are 30 types of corporate body on the register. These include corporate body types other than those companies covered by the Companies Act 2006.

Each corporate body type has a distinct set of requirements, as outlined in various pieces of legislation and royal acts.

Find more information on each company type.

The 3 corporate body types making up the highest proportion of corporate bodies in FYE 2026 are:

• private limited companies
• limited partnerships
• limited liability partnerships (LLPs)

These 3 corporate body types have consistently made up 98% of all corporate body types.

Table 6.1: Private limited companies accounted for over 95% of all corporate bodies on the total register at 31 March 2026

Top 10 corporate body types on the UK companies register, FYE 2026

Corporate body type	Number	Percentage of all corporate bodies
Private limited	5,275,466	92.22
Private limited by guarantee / no share capital	157,414	2.75
Limited partnership	60,658	1.06
Limited liability partnership	51,301	0.90
Charitable incorporated organisation	39,259	0.69
Private limited by guarantee / no share capital (use of limited exemption)	36,704	0.64
Overseas entity	33,137	0.58
Authorised Company Service Provider	20,093	0.35
Overseas company	15,164	0.27
Registered society	10,892	0.19
Other corporate body types	20,220	0.35
Total of corporate body types	5,720,308	100

Source: Companies register activities FYE 2026, Companies House

The composition of the register overall has remained stable in recent years in terms of corporate body types. However, there have been some minor fluctuations within individual corporate body types.

Charitable incorporated organisations

Charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs) were introduced in late 2017. CIOs are an incorporated structure designed for charities and need to be registered with the Charity Commission.

The Charity Commission allowed charitable companies to convert to CIOs. For FYE 2026, there were:

• 39,259 CIOs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (0.69% of all corporate bodies)
• 7,564 CIOs in Scotland (0.13% of all corporate bodies)

Since FYE 2018, the number of CIOs has increased by:

• 25,577 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland meaning an average annual growth rate of 14.35%
• 4,254 in Scotland meaning an average annual growth rate of 10.92%

Limited liability partnerships

Limited liability partnerships (LLPs) were introduced in April 2001. The proportion of LLPs has since gradually declined, and they now account for 0.90% of the register.

Limited partnerships

The percentage of limited partnerships on the register grew to a peak of 1.19% in FYE 2019. This has since declined to 1.06% at the end of FYE 2026.

Scottish limited partnerships make up 62.55% of UK limited partnerships on the register.

Find more information on limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships in tables B2 and B4 respectively.

Table C1, in the tables that accompany this release, displays numbers and percentages of all corporate body types on the register from FYE 2017 to FYE 2026.

7. Overseas companies with a UK establishment

Overseas companies with a UK establishment are companies incorporated outside of the UK with a place of business or branch (‘establishment’) in the UK through which they carry out their business.

At the end of FYE 2026, there were 14,704 overseas companies with a UK establishment on the total register, compared with 14,574 at the end of FYE 2025. This represents a 0.89% increase.

At the end of FYE 2026, the 3 countries with the most overseas companies on the register were:

• the United States, with 2,750 companies (18.70% of overseas companies on the register)
• the Channel Islands, with 2,187 companies (14.87% of overseas companies on the register)
• Ireland, with 1,306 companies (8.88% of overseas companies on the register)

In FYE 2026, the 3 regions with the most overseas companies on the register were:

• Europe, with 4,584 companies (31.18% of overseas companies on the register)
• the Americas, with 3,178 companies (21.61% of overseas companies on the register)
• the UK Crown Dependencies, with 2,706 companies (18.40% of overseas companies on the register)

Figure 7.1: 18.7% of all overseas companies on the UK register originated in the United States at 31 March 2026

Top 10 countries of origin for overseas companies with a UK establishment, UK companies register, FYE 2026

Source: Companies register activities FYE 2026, Companies House

This graphic shows overseas companies with a UK establishment. The 10 countries with the most companies with a UK establishment at 31 March 2026 were:

• United States - 2,750 companies
• Channel Islands - 2,187 companies
• Ireland - 1,306 companies
• Netherlands - 663 companies
• Germany - 637 companies
• Isle of Man - 519 companies
• France - 305 companies
• India - 300 companies
• Cayman Islands - 292 companies
• Australia - 275 companies

There were 736 new registrations for overseas companies in FYE 2026. Of these:

• 269 (36.55%) originated in the Channel Islands
• 88 (11.69%) originated in the United States
• 52 (7.70%) originated in Ireland

By region, the 3 highest numbers of new registrations of overseas companies originated from:

• UK Crown Dependencies, with 277 new registrations (37.64%)
• Europe, with 191 new registrations (25.95%)
• Americas, with 103 new registrations (13.99%)

The top 10 originating countries made up 62.80% of all overseas companies on the total register at the end of FYE 2026.

Table 7.1: 37% of new overseas company registrations originated in the Channel Islands in FYE 2026

Top 10 countries of origin for new registrations of overseas companies with a UK establishment, UK companies register, FYE 2026

Country of origin	New registrations	Percentage of all registrations
Channel Islands	269	36.55
United States	88	11.96
Ireland	52	7.07
Germany	30	4.08
Netherlands	19	2.58
Cayman Islands	12	1.63
British Virgin Islands	11	1.49
France	11	1.49
Italy	11	1.49
Other countries of origin	233	31.66
Total	736	100

Source: Companies register activities FYE 2026, Companies House

Table B1 shows the:

• total number of overseas companies with a UK establishment on the register from FYE 2017 to FYE 2026
• number of new registrations during FYE 2026

8. Register of Overseas Entities

The Register of Overseas Entities was introduced in August 2022 as part of the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022.

As of FYE 2026, there were 33,137 overseas entities on the register.

In FYE 2026, there were 1,090 new registrations, compared with 1,318 in FYE 2025. The countries with the largest number of registrations were:

• Jersey with 322 accounting for 29.54% of new registrations
• Isle of Man with 124 accounting for 11.38% of new registrations
• British Virgin Islands with 97 accounting for 8.90% of new registrations
• United States with 49 accounting for 4.50% of new registrations
• Guernsey with 39 accounting for 3.58% of new registrations

In FYE 2026 the top 3 regions with the most registrations were:

• UK Crown Dependencies with 486
• Europe with 192
• UK Overseas Territories with 143

Table B5 shows new registrations of overseas entities from FYE 2023 to FYE 2026

Country of origin	New registrations	Percentage of all registrations
Jersey	322	29.54
Isle of Man	124	11.38
British Virgin Islands	97	8.90
United States	49	4.50
Guernsey	39	3.58
Luxembourg	36	3.30
Ireland	30	2.75
Gibraltar	24	2.20
Australia	22	2.02
France	22	2.02
Other countries of origin	325	29.82
Total	1,090	100

9. About the data

The figures in this release give information about the population of companies and corporate bodies in the UK.

Companies and corporate bodies are legal types of business registered at Companies House.

Companies are a group of corporate bodies formed under the Companies Act 2006.

Companies and corporate bodies are registered at Companies House regardless of whether they go on to actively trade.

For more information on companies covered by the Companies Act 2006 and corporate bodies, see Definitions to accompany statistical releases from Companies House. This document also explains the incorporation, dissolution and restoration processes.

The statistics in this release include:

• the total number of registered companies
• the number of companies incorporated
• the number of companies dissolved
• historic changes in the size of the companies register
• age of companies on the register
• types of corporate body on the register
• overseas companies with a UK establishment
• the register of overseas entities

This statistics release focuses on the headline messages for the UK.

There are figures for the constituent countries in the tables that accompany the release. These documents also include figures for:

• public limited companies (PLCs)
• limited liability partnerships (LLPs)
• limited partnerships (LPs)
• other corporate body types

This release complements the quarterly release Incorporated companies in the UK. It gives information on companies to which the Companies Act 2006 relates, and on other corporate body types.

Sections 3 to 5 of this statistical release focus specifically on companies. Sections 6 and 7 cover other corporate body types.

Some figures in this release may differ to those in the quarterly “Incorporated companies in the UK” publications. This is due to the timing of the analysis. Companies House carries out analyses for the figures in this release later in the year, so more information can be processed and added to the register.

A range of management information tables are due to be published between July and September 2026, containing:

• civil penalties for late filing of annual accounts
• disqualification orders notified to the Secretary of State in the UK
• prosecutions under the Companies Act 2006
• the number of documents filed at Companies House
• annual accounts registered at Companies House by accounts type

10. Glossary

Find definitions for the main terms used in Companies House official statistics publications.

11. Strengths and limitations

Companies House statistics are used extensively by government, the public, public bodies and businesses. For example, they are used by:

• government in understanding the likely impact of policy changes and monitoring the impact of economic changes on companies
• businesses in understanding their market share and planning marketing strategies
• banks in developing an understanding of their customer base
• foreign firms in making UK location decisions
• academics to inform research into businesses at local and national level
• a range of public bodies in decision-making and evaluating business-related policies

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should meet.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards.

Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

Quality

Read our document Quality information to accompany statistical releases from Companies House. It can help you decide if the data is good enough to use.

This document measures the Companies House official statistics against characteristics called data quality dimensions. Companies House uses the European Statistical System’s data quality dimensions.  

The document also gives information on how Companies House official statistics relate to other business statistics.

Corrections and revisions to these statistics

We aim to minimise corrections and revisions to our statistical publications but sometimes changes are unavoidable. These changes could be:

• corrections, which are unplanned and occur when errors in either the data or the methodology are found after release of the publication
• revisions, which are generally, but not always, planned, and are the result of improvements in methods or of additional data

More information about potential changes to the published data.

The source of these statistics is administrative data. This means the data are often used for operational purposes. Statistical use is not their main purpose. As the main purpose of collecting the data is operational, it is common that some of the values we report on change.

In this publication of the statistical tables, we’ll show corrections by adding the word ‘revised’ in square brackets next to figures that have been corrected. However, in the next publication, we’ll remove these.

Consultation

We publish results of the most recent consultation on these official statistics on GOV.UK.

12. Future releases

Companies House will publish annual statistics for FYE 2027 on 24 June 2027.

We’ll publish statistics for the period 1 April to 30 June 2026 on 30 July 2026.

We’ve announced the publication dates on the GOV.UK release calendar.

If you have a question about any of these tables or Companies House statistics in general, email statistics@companieshouse.gov.uk.

13. Related links

Companies House statistics newer than 2014

Annual and quarterly statistics produced by Companies House from June 2014.

Companies House statistics older than 2014

Annual and monthly statistics produced by Companies House before October 2014, on the National Archives website.

Open data products at Companies House

Information about the open data products that Companies House offers. We update this page regularly.

Find and update company information

Our service to find and update company information, which includes advanced search capabilities.

Companies House API overview

Free, fully documented API, which gives access to real-time updates on companies. We update this information regularly.