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Official Statistics

Incorporated companies in the UK: April to June 2026

Published 30 July 2026

© Crown copyright 2026

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/incorporated-companies-in-the-uk-april-to-june-2026/incorporated-companies-in-the-uk-april-to-june-2026

Released: 30 July 2026.

Next release: 29 October 2026.

Media enquiries: press@companieshouse.gov.uk

Statistical enquiries: statistics@companieshouse.gov.uk

Gemma Hendy (responsible statistician).

This is the first release in a new format. We have made 2 main changes:

  • we now publish monthly figures alongside quarterly totals, giving users more detail
  • the number of companies added and removed each month now matches the change in the size of the register

Read our quality and methods guide for more detail on these changes, and our plans for future releases. We welcome feedback on the new format at statistics@companieshouse.gov.uk.

1. Main points 

For April to June 2026:

  • there were 5,516,377 companies on the register as of end June 2026
  • the companies register grew by 0.7%, with a net change of 37,339 companies
  • there were 192,287 company incorporations
  • there were 156,515 companies struck off the register and dissolved within the period
  • more than half of dissolutions were voluntary, with 80,643 voluntary dissolutions, 67,815 compulsory dissolutions, and 8,057 dissolutions via liquidation
  • in June 2026, 27,717 companies were struck off the register – fewer companies were struck off than expected because some of our online services were unavailable between 12 June and 16 June 2026

2. Changes in the companies register

Quarterly headlines

The companies register grew by 0.7% between April and June 2026 with a net increase of 37,339 companies. There were 192,287 company incorporations and 156,515 companies struck off the register.

The register between April and June 2026

At the end of June 2026, there were 5,516,377 companies on the register. The register grew slightly in April, was essentially flat in May, and grew sharply in June. There were 63,137 company incorporations and 27,717 companies struck off in June. Fewer companies were struck off than expected in June because we paused some strike off processing following the unavailability of some of our online services between 12 June and 16 June.    

Table 1: monthly movements on the UK companies register, April to June 2026

April May June Quarter total
Incorporations 67,059 62,091 63,137 192,287
Restorations 577 491 574 1,642
Other additions 0 0 1 1
Total additions 67,636 62,582 63,712 193,930
Struck off 66,206 62,592 27,717 156,515
Other removals 25 26 25 76
Total removals 66,231 62,618 27,742 156,591
Total register size at end of period 5,480,443 5,480,407 5,516,377 5,516,377
Net change +1,405 −36 +35,970 +37,339

Breakdowns by jurisdiction 

All 3 jurisdictions grew over the quarter. The register grew by:

  • 33,568 companies in England and Wales
  • 3,168 in Scotland
  • 603 in Northern Ireland

Table 2: Additions, removals, register size and net change broken down by jurisdiction, April to June 2026

England and Wales Scotland Northern Ireland UK
Additions 181,550 9,894 2,486 193,930
Removals 147,982 6,726 1,883 156,591
Register size 5,147,747 278,477 90,153 5,516,377
Net change +33,568 +3,168 +603 +37,339

Companies being removed from the register 

The Registrar can begin the process of removing a company from the register if it is believed to be no longer trading or operating, for example, if the company has not filed its accounts or confirmation statement, or has no directors. Companies can also be removed voluntarily, if a company chooses to apply for strike off itself.

This release shows strike off and dissolution as separate stages for the first time. Strike off is the removal of a company from the register. The company is dissolved when the Registrar publishes a notice in the Gazette, usually about a week after strike off. See the quality and methods guide for more detail.

The figures for first Gazette notice, strike off and dissolution in Table 3 below relate to different companies moving through the dissolution process at different times, not the same group of companies at 3 points in one quarter.

Table 3: stage and route of removal from the register, April to June 2026

Stage of removal Voluntary Compulsory Liquidation UK total
First Gazette 79,091 126,219   205,310
Struck off 80,643 67,815 8,057 156,515
Dissolved 80,643 67,815 8,057 156,515

At the first Gazette stage, the compulsory route is split into standard and expedited compulsory processes. From April to June 2026, this consisted of 126,036 companies in the standard compulsory route and 183 companies in the expedited compulsory route. See the accompanying tables for the full monthly split.

All companies struck off during the quarter had also been dissolved by the end of June, giving a total of 156,515 companies struck off and dissolved in the UK.     

More than half of dissolutions were voluntary, with 80,643 voluntary dissolutions, 67,815 compulsory dissolutions, and 8,057 dissolutions via liquidation.       

3. About the data

These statistics describe the population of corporate bodies registered under company law.

Companies are:

  • a type of corporate body, registered at Companies House
  • formed under the Companies Act 2006

Companies House also registers other types of corporate body. The tables published alongside this release include limited liability partnerships (LLPs), formed under the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2000.

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

For more information on corporate bodies and companies included in the Companies Act 2006, visit the definitions section of the quality and methods guide. This document also explains the incorporation, dissolution and restoration processes.

The statistics in this release include the:

  • total number of registered companies
  • number of companies incorporated
  • number of companies struck off
  • number of companies removed from the register, by removal stage

Recent policy and operational context 

The following changes may affect how you interpret figures in this and future releases, with the most recent first:

4. Quality and methods

These statistics come from administrative data held on the UK companies register. The data is collected primarily to run operations at Companies House, not for statistical reporting, so figures may be revised when underlying records are corrected. Read our quality and methods guide for a full description of strengths, limitations, and known sources of error, including how these statistics relate to other business statistics.

We aim to minimise corrections and revisions but sometimes changes are unavoidable:

  • corrections are unplanned, and happen when an error in the data or the methodology is found after a release has been published
  • revisions are usually planned, and happen when methods improve or more data becomes available

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 at statistics@companieshouse.gov.uk.

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

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