Incorporated companies in the UK April to June 2023
Published 27 July 2023
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/incorporated-companies-in-the-uk-april-to-june-2023/incorporated-companies-in-the-uk-april-to-june-2023
1. Other statistics in this release
In addition to covering register activity for all companies, a range of other statistics are included in the tables that accompany this release. The following information is provided for individual countries and for the UK:
- register activity for public companies
- register activity for limited liability partnerships (LLPs)
- company insolvencies and liquidations
- removals from the register
We present the statistics within this release based on the financial year, which runs from the beginning of April to the end of the following March and is broken down so that:
- April to June is Quarter 1
- July to September is Quarter 2
- October to December is Quarter 3
- January to March is Quarter 4
2. Main points
- At the end of June 2023, there were 5,154,835 companies on the total register and 4,701,006 on the effective register.
- During the period April to June 2023, the total register increased by 38,092 companies (0.7%), and the effective register increased by 55,604 companies (1.2%).
- Between April and June 2023, there were 212,272 incorporations and 178,084 dissolutions in the UK.
- The number of incorporations between April and June 2023 increased by 11,199 (5.6%) compared with the same period in 2022.
- The number of dissolutions between April and June 2023 increased by 22,110 (14.2%) compared with the same period in 2022.
- The number of companies in the course of removal in the period April to June 2023 increased by 48,714 (16.4%) compared with April to June 2022.
3. Changes in the size of the register
At the end of June 2023, there were 5,154,835 companies on the total register, which includes those in the course of removal and liquidation (453,829). During the period April to June 2023, the size of the total register increased by 38,092 companies (0.7%) compared with the end of March 2023 and by 212,381 companies (4.3%) compared with the same period in 2022. Growth in the size of the total register was observed in all constituent countries in the period April to June 2023. England and Wales increased by 0.7%, Scotland by 0.9% and Northern Ireland by 1.7%.
The number of companies on the effective register, which excludes those in the course of removal or liquidation, was 4,701,006 at the end of June 2023. During the period April to June 2023, the size of the effective register increased by 55,604 companies (1.2%) compared with the end of March 2023 and by 157,785 companies (3.5%) compared with the end of June 2022. Growth in the size of the effective register was observed in all constituent countries in the period April to June 2023. England and Wales increased by 1.2%, Scotland by 0.8% and Northern Ireland by 1.7%.
The size of both the total and effective registers increased at a consistent rate up to Quarter 4 (January to March) financial year ending (FYE) 2020 and Quarter 1 (April to June) FYE 2021, respectively. However, between Quarter 4 FYE 2020 and Quarter 1 FYE 2022, the rate of growth of the total register size significantly increased. During this period, the rate of growth of incorporations increased, along with a decrease in the number of dissolutions. A similar trend is seen for the growth in the effective register. Growth in both the total and effective registers from Quarter 4 FYE 2022 onwards was similar to that of Quarter 4 FYE 2020, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Figure 1: The total and effective register sizes increased by 0.7% and 1.2%, respectively, during Q1 FYE 2024
The total and effective register size, UK companies register, Q1 FYE 2014 to Q1 FYE 2024
Source: Incorporated companies in the UK, April to June 2023, Companies House
Between April and June 2023, there were 212,272 incorporations in the UK. The number of incorporations during the period April to June 2023 increased by 11,199 (5.6%) compared with the same period in 2022. The number of incorporations has continued to increase over time. For example, there were 80,884 more incorporations in the period April to June 2023 compared with the same period in 2013. This represents an average annual growth rate of 4.9% over the last 10 years.
During the period April to June 2023, there were 178,084 dissolutions in the UK. The number of dissolutions between April and June 2023 increased by 22,110 (14.2%) compared with the same period in 2022. The number of dissolutions has generally increased over time, except for the pause to strike off in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. There were 103,590 more dissolutions in the period April to June 2023 compared with the same period in 2013, which represents an average annual growth rate of 9.1% over the last 10 years.
Figure 2: Incorporations and dissolutions increased by 5.6% and 14.2%, respectively, compared with the same period last year
Incorporations and dissolutions, UK companies register, Q1 FYE 2014 to Q1 FYE 2024
Source: Incorporated companies in the UK, April to June 2023, Companies House
Between April and June 2023, the number of companies in the course of removal increased by 48,714 (16.4%) compared with the same period in 2022. The number of companies in the course of removal at the end of June 2023 decreased by 18,982 (5.2%) compared with the end of March 2023. It is difficult to make like-for-like comparisons with previous years because of disruptions to the strike off process in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and national lockdown measures. There were also large-scale objections to dissolutions for companies with outstanding government-backed COVID-19 support loans.
The tables that accompany this release provide a full breakdown of figures for England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole. Figures are provided on both a quarterly and annual basis from April 2012 onwards.
4. About the data
The figures in this release provide information about the population of companies in the UK. A company is defined as a specific legal form of business formed under the Companies Act 2006. Companies are registered at Companies House regardless of whether they go on to actively trade. For more information on companies and the Companies Act 2006, see Definitions to accompany statistical releases from Companies House.
The statistics in this release include:
- the total number of registered companies
- the number of companies incorporated
- the number of companies that were dissolved
The release focuses on the headline messages for the UK. Figures for the constituent countries are included in the tables that accompany this publication. These documents also include figures for public limited companies (PLCs) and limited liability partnerships (LLPs).
5. Glossary
Definitions for the main terms used in Companies House official statistics publications are available in a separate document. See Definitions to accompany statistical releases from Companies House.
6. 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
6.1 Quality
Information about the quality of Companies House official statistics is provided in a separate document. See Quality information to accompany statistical releases from Companies House.
This document allows users to decide if the data is of sufficient quality for their intended use. The information is structured in terms of the quality dimensions of the European Statistical System. The document also provides information on how these statistics relate to other business statistics.
6.2 Revisions to these statistics
Revisions to these statistics will be mainly because of changes in methodologies and source data. The statistics are derived from administrative data, and changes to the underlying methods will cause revisions. These include changes in statistical methods, definitions, classifications and geographic coverage.
Although Companies House has robust procedures in place to minimise errors in the methods we use to create these statistics, errors may occasionally occur. If errors are found after the publication, their impact will be assessed. If the changes are significant, we will issue a correction as soon as possible. Minor corrections will be included in the next planned release.
We will amend any misleading or incorrect figures and add a footnote to show that the figures have been corrected. This footnote will also explain the nature and reason for the correction.
6.3 Consultation
Results of the most recent consultation on these official statistics are published on GOV.UK.
7. Future releases
Annual statistics for the financial year ending 2024 will be published on 27 June 2024. Statistics for the period 1 July to 30 September 2023 will be published on 26 October 2023. The publication dates have been announced 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.
8. Related links
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Annual statistics produced by Companies House and published on GOV.UK.
Open data products at Companies House
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