How many companies are registered in the UK? (October 2026)
Key figures
The UK register held 5.7 million live companies on 1 October 2026, and just over nine in ten of them were active.
| Measure (1 October 2026) | Companies | Share of live |
|---|---|---|
| Live companies, all statuses | 5,704,711 | 100% |
| Active | 5,166,057 | 90.6% |
| Active, proposal to strike off | 423,006 | 7.4% |
| Liquidation | 108,330 | 1.9% |
| In administration | 3,709 | 0.1% |
| Receivership, voluntary arrangement and other insolvency statuses | 3,609 | 0.1% |
| Private limited companies (live) | 5,276,662 | 92.5% |
| Private limited companies (active) | 4,749,389 | 83.3% |
| Public limited companies (live) | 4,490 | 0.1% |
Source: our count of the Companies House BasicCompanyData file of 1 October 2026. "Live" means every company still on the register, whatever its status. Dissolved companies are not in the file.
Registered, live and active: what the words mean
"Registered" usually means on the Companies House register, "active" is one specific status, and the gap between them is about 540,000 companies.
- Registered or live: the company exists and has not been dissolved. This includes companies being struck off, in liquidation or in administration.
- Active: the status Companies House shows when no strike-off, insolvency or dissolution process is recorded. It does not mean the company trades: a dormant company is still "Active".
- Effective register: the term Companies House uses for the register minus companies in the course of dissolution or liquidation.
A full list of statuses is in what each Companies House company status means.
The official total from Companies House
Companies House reported 5,516,377 companies on the register at the end of June 2026, the latest official quarterly figure.
| Official measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Total register, end of June 2026 | 5,516,377 | Incorporated companies in the UK, April to June 2026 |
| Total register, end of March 2026 | 5,479,045 | Companies register activities, April 2025 to March 2026 |
| Effective register, end of March 2026 | 4,930,634 | same release |
| Incorporations, April 2025 to March 2026 | 815,277 | same release |
| Dissolutions, April 2025 to March 2026 | 787,120 | same release |
The figures for July to September 2026 are scheduled for 29 October 2026 (GOV.UK announcement). Our count is higher because the two are built differently: the register file also lists entity types such as overseas entities (30,207), charitable incorporated organisations (48,647) and registered societies (10,916). Quote the gov.uk figure for the official size of the register and the register file for breakdowns by status, industry or age.
Companies by legal form
Private limited companies make up 92.5% of the live register.
| Company type | Live companies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Private limited company | 5,276,662 | 92.5% |
| Private company limited by guarantee | 154,695 | 2.7% |
| Limited partnership | 61,086 | 1.1% |
| Limited liability partnership | 50,171 | 0.9% |
| Charitable incorporated organisation | 48,647 | 0.9% |
| Community interest company | 45,328 | 0.8% |
| Overseas entity | 30,207 | 0.5% |
| Registered society | 10,916 | 0.2% |
| Private unlimited company | 4,805 | 0.1% |
| Public limited company | 4,490 | 0.1% |
| Other types | 17,704 | 0.3% |
Active companies by industry (top 10 sections)
Wholesale and retail, professional services and real estate each account for about one in eight active companies.
| SIC section | Active companies | Share of active | Median age (years) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale and retail | 653,899 | 12.7% | 3.4 |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 626,454 | 12.1% | 6.9 |
| Real estate | 606,940 | 11.7% | 5.2 |
| Construction | 503,123 | 9.7% | 6.0 |
| Information and communication | 435,543 | 8.4% | 5.0 |
| Administrative and support services | 349,258 | 6.8% | 7.2 |
| Accommodation and food | 248,796 | 4.8% | 3.1 |
| Financial and insurance | 218,846 | 4.2% | 4.8 |
| Health and social work | 213,169 | 4.1% | 5.4 |
| Manufacturing | 210,821 | 4.1% | 7.5 |
Industry is the first SIC code a company gives. The single most common codes are in the most common SIC codes in the UK.
How old are UK companies?
The UK register is young: half of active companies were incorporated less than 5.6 years ago.
- Median age of active companies: 5.6 years (mean 9.3 years).
- Under 3 years old: 34.0% of active companies.
- Under 5 years old: 46.7%.
- 10 years or older: 32.1%; 20 years or older: 12.5%.
Across all live companies, 1,428,213 (25.0%) are less than two years old and 1,759,280 (30.8%) are ten years or older. Recent cohorts are large: 715,974 companies incorporated in 2025 are still live. More in the average age of a UK company and UK incorporations by year.
Dormant companies and companies in liquidation
About one active company in nine last filed dormant accounts, and fewer than one live company in fifty is in liquidation.
- Dormant accounts: 559,853 active companies (10.8%) last filed dormant accounts. A further 104,507 live companies give 99999 "Dormant company" as their activity code.
- No accounts yet: 26.0% of active companies have not filed any accounts, mostly because they are new.
- Liquidation: 108,330 companies (1.9% of live), plus 3,709 in administration. A company stays on the register until the liquidation ends and it is dissolved.
- Strike-off: 423,006 companies (7.4% of live) were under a proposal to strike off; see how many UK companies are being struck off.
The full split by accounts category is in UK companies by accounts type.
Methodology
Source: Companies House Free Company Data Product (BasicCompanyData), snapshot of 1 October 2026, 5,704,711 records with any status other than dissolved. Status, company category and incorporation date are as recorded. Ages are measured to 1 October 2026 for companies with status "Active". Industry uses the first SIC code; 99999 and missing codes are excluded from sections. Official figures are quoted from Companies House statistical releases linked above. Computed by Global Mindset Marketing Ltd. You may reuse these figures with a link to this page. More on sources: methodology.
How to cite: UK Company Data (2026). How many companies are registered in the UK? Global Mindset Marketing Ltd. https://data.globalmindsetmarketing.co.uk/data/how-many-companies-are-there-in-the-uk
To see the status, age and latest balance sheet of a particular company, use our company search.
FAQ
How many companies are registered in the UK?
Companies House reported 5,516,377 companies on the register at the end of June 2026. Our count of the register file on 1 October 2026 is 5,704,711 live entities, which includes types such as overseas entities and charitable incorporated organisations. Either way, the answer is about 5.5 to 5.7 million, excluding dissolved companies.
How many active companies are there in the UK in 2026?
5,166,057 companies had the status "Active" on 1 October 2026, 90.6% of the live register. Active only means no strike-off, insolvency or dissolution process is recorded: 559,853 of these companies last filed dormant accounts, so not every active company trades.
How many limited companies are there in the UK?
5,276,662 live private limited companies were on the register on 1 October 2026, of which 4,749,389 were active. Add 154,695 private companies limited by guarantee and 4,490 public limited companies. Private limited companies are 92.5% of everything on the register.
How many new companies are formed in the UK each year?
Companies House recorded 815,277 incorporations between April 2025 and March 2026 and 787,120 dissolutions, so the register grew by 51,258. Incorporations by year, and how many of each year's companies survive, are in our page on UK incorporations by year.
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