Official Statistics

Incorporated companies in the UK July to September 2024

Published 31 October 2024

1. Other statistics in this release

The tables that accompany this release include:

• register activity for all companies
• register activity for public companies
• register activity for limited liability partnerships (LLPs)
• company insolvencies and liquidations
• company removals from the register

The statistics within this release are presented by financial year, which runs from 1 April to 31 March.

We have identified several minor discrepancies across 4 of our statistical tables which we are correcting in this release. These are minor errors, found in calendar year 2014 only, and do not change the overall message of the statistics. The issues we’ve identified include:

• some totals not equalling the sum of their parts
• inconsistency within the tables

More information about this correction. 

2. Main points

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

• the total register size at the end of September 2024 was 5,417,796, an increase of 17,884 companies (0.33%) compared with the end of June 2024
• there were 4,897,355 companies on the effective register at the end of September 2024, an increase of 513 companies (0.01%) compared with the end of June 2024
• the companies register grew at its slowest rate in July to September 2024 since quarterly reporting began in April 2012
• between July and September 2024, there were 191,683 incorporations in the UK, a decrease of 27,571 (12.57%) compared with the same period in 2023
• there were 170,597 dissolutions in the UK between July and September 2024, an increase of 8,836 (5.46%) compared with the same period in 2023
• on 1 May 2024, Companies House increased fees for incorporation and registration documents, which has affected the number of incorporations this quarter compared with the period April to June 2024

3. Changes in the companies register

The total register size was 5,417,796 at the end of September 2024. This is an increase of 17,884 companies (0.33%) compared with the end of June 2024. The total register includes companies in the process of dissolution and liquidation (520,441).

The effective register size, which does not include companies in the process of dissolution or liquidation, was 4,897,355 at the end of September 2024. This is an increase of 513 companies (0.01%) compared with the end of June 2024.

There was a flattening in the total and effective register size from the end of June to the end of September 2024. This is due to a decrease in the number of incorporations.

The total register changes for the constituent countries are an increase of:

• 13,960 (0.28%) companies in England and Wales
• 1,729 (0.66%) companies in Scotland
• 2,195 (2.41%) companies in Northern Ireland

We usually expect growth in the companies register to be consistent across the constituent countries of the UK. Northern Ireland’s register has grown faster than the register in England and Wales or in Scotland since January to March 2023. This is primarily due to high volumes of incorporations in Northern Ireland.

Figure 3.1: Register growth during July to September 2024 is the lowest we’ve seen since quarterly reporting began

The total and effective register size, UK companies register, 30 September 2014 to 30 September 2024

Source: Incorporated companies in the UK, July to September 2024, Companies House

There were 191,683 incorporations in the UK during July to September 2024. This is a decrease of 27,571 (12.57%) compared with the same period in 2023. On 19 February 2024, Companies House published a list of changes to fees for incorporation and registration documents. These changes came into effect on 1 May 2024. This has had an impact on the number of incorporations during July to September 2024, as this is the first full quarter since the changes were made.

The change in incorporations across constituent countries in the UK from July to September 2024 compared with July to September 2023 was:

• a decrease of 27,262 (13.27%) in England and Wales
• a decrease of 736 (7.31%) in Scotland
• an increase of 427 (11.28%) in Northern Ireland

During July to September 2024, there was a decrease in the number of incorporations in England and Wales, and Scotland. There was also an increase in the number of incorporations in Northern Ireland. As Northern Ireland makes up a small percentage of the UK companies register, this proportional increase is not reflected in the incorporation statistics for the UK.

There were 170,597 dissolutions in the UK between July and September 2024. This is an increase of 8,836 (5.46%) compared with the same period in 2023.

The average number of incorporations and dissolutions during a quarter has increased over time. In the period July to September 2024, there were:

• 49,876 more incorporations compared with July to September 2014
• 74,036 more dissolutions compared with July to September 2014

Figure 3.2: Incorporations decreased to 2022 levels in the period July to September 2024

Incorporations and dissolutions, UK companies register, July to September 2014 to July to September 2024

Source: Incorporated companies in the UK, July to September 2024, Companies House

The number of companies in the course of dissolution at the end of September 2024 was 409,724. This is an increase of 17,882 (4.56%) compared with the end of June 2024.

The change in the number of companies in the course of dissolution across constituent countries in the UK from the end of June 2024 to the end of September 2024 was:

• an increase of 16,000 (4.35%) in England and Wales
• an increase of 711 (3.56%) in Scotland
• an increase of 1,171 (28.18%) in Northern Ireland

There is a full breakdown of company statistics for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland in tables 1a, 2a, 3a and 4a respectively of the Incorporated companies in the UK July to September 2024 spreadsheet. The tables contain figures from April 2012 onwards. There are separate figures for:

• public limited companies in tables 1b, 2b, 3b and 4b
• limited liability partnerships in tables 1c, 2c, 3c and 4c
• company insolvencies and liquidations in tables 1d, 2d, 3d and 4d
• company removals from the register in tables 1e, 2e, 3e and 4e

4. About the data

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

Companies 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
• number of companies incorporated
• number of companies dissolved

This statistics release focuses on the headline messages.

There are figures for the constituent countries in the Incorporated companies in the UK July to September 2024 spreadsheet. These documents also include figures for:

• public limited companies (PLCs)
• limited liability partnerships (LLPs)

5. Glossary

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

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

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 adhere to.

You are welcome to email us 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.

6.1 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.

6.2 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

We have identified several minor errors across 4 of our statistical tables which we are correcting in this release. These are minor errors that do not change the overall message of the statistics. The issues we’ve identified include:

• some totals not equalling the sum of their parts
• inconsistency within the tables

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, the corrections will be shown by the addition of the word ‘revised’ in square brackets next to figures that have been corrected. However, in the next publication, these will be removed.

The revisions in the dataset associated with this publication can be found in the following tables:

• Table 1a: Company register activity: all companies, UK (Total numbers on register at end of period, January to March 2014 and Total numbers on register at start of period, April to June 2014)
• Table 1c: Company register activity: limited liability partnerships, UK (In course of dissolution, October to December 2014)
• Table 2c: Company register activity: limited liability partnerships, England and Wales (In course of dissolution, October to December 2014)
• Table 3a: Company register activity: all companies, Scotland (Total numbers on register at end of period, January to March 2014 and Total numbers on register at start of period, April to June 2014)

6.3 Consultation

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

7. Future releases

Companies House will publish annual statistics for financial year ending 2025 on 26 June 2025.

We’ll publish statistics for the period 1 October to 31 December 2024 on 30 January 2025.

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.

8. 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.