What are the most common SIC codes in the UK? (October 2026)
Key figures
Property letting is the single most popular declared activity of UK companies, and two property codes together cover almost one company in ten.
| Measure (1 October 2026) | Value |
|---|---|
| Most common SIC code | 68209, 284,610 companies |
| Live companies with a 5-digit SIC code | 5,456,891 |
| Different SIC codes in use as first code | 731 |
| Share of live companies in the top 10 codes | 30.3% |
| Share of live companies in the top 30 codes | 51.5% |
| Codes used by fewer than 100 companies | 88 |
Top 30 SIC codes in the UK
The table counts each live company once, by the first SIC code on its register entry.
| Rank | SIC code | Description | Live companies | Share of live |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 68209 | Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate | 284,610 | 5.0% |
| 2 | 68100 | Buying and selling of own real estate | 259,676 | 4.6% |
| 3 | 70229 | Management consultancy activities other than financial management | 223,192 | 3.9% |
| 4 | 82990 | Other business support service activities n.e.c. | 180,504 | 3.2% |
| 5 | 47910 | Retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet | 165,117 | 2.9% |
| 6 | 62020 | Information technology consultancy activities | 129,365 | 2.3% |
| 7 | 98000 | Residents property management | 126,192 | 2.2% |
| 8 | 64209 | Activities of other holding companies n.e.c. | 119,904 | 2.1% |
| 9 | 41100 | Development of building projects | 119,361 | 2.1% |
| 10 | 96090 | Other service activities n.e.c. | 118,489 | 2.1% |
| 11 | 99999 | Dormant company | 104,507 | 1.8% |
| 12 | 62012 | Business and domestic software development | 99,226 | 1.7% |
| 13 | 86900 | Other human health activities | 81,937 | 1.4% |
| 14 | 56103 | Take-away food shops and mobile food stands | 72,535 | 1.3% |
| 15 | 41202 | Construction of domestic buildings | 71,617 | 1.3% |
| 16 | 96020 | Hairdressing and other beauty treatment | 70,677 | 1.2% |
| 17 | 49410 | Freight transport by road | 68,731 | 1.2% |
| 18 | 74909 | Other professional, scientific and technical activities n.e.c. | 63,444 | 1.1% |
| 19 | 43210 | Electrical installation | 55,821 | 1.0% |
| 20 | 62090 | Other information technology service activities | 54,755 | 1.0% |
| 21 | 56101 | Licensed restaurants | 54,321 | 1.0% |
| 22 | 43999 | Other specialised construction activities n.e.c. | 53,956 | 0.9% |
| 23 | 45200 | Maintenance and repair of motor vehicles | 53,089 | 0.9% |
| 24 | 68320 | Management of real estate on a fee or contract basis | 52,825 | 0.9% |
| 25 | 43220 | Plumbing, heat and air-conditioning installation | 46,653 | 0.8% |
| 26 | 56102 | Unlicensed restaurants and cafes | 44,725 | 0.8% |
| 27 | 69201 | Accounting and auditing activities | 42,692 | 0.7% |
| 28 | 43390 | Other building completion and finishing | 40,698 | 0.7% |
| 29 | 85590 | Other education n.e.c. | 40,629 | 0.7% |
| 30 | 74990 | Non-trading company | 40,156 | 0.7% |
Shares are of all 5,704,711 live companies on the register, including companies under strike-off or in insolvency. "n.e.c." means not elsewhere classified. To find any other code and how many companies use it, try our SIC code lookup.
What the top codes tell you
Most of the top 30 describe property, consultancy and catch-all activities rather than a specific trade.
Property: 68209 and 68100
Buy-to-let and property development companies dominate the register. 68209 covers companies that let property they own or lease, and 68100 covers buying and selling own property. With 68320 (managing property for others) the real estate division counts 606,940 active companies, more than any other two-digit division. Development of building projects (41100, 119,361 companies) sits in construction of buildings but often serves the same purpose.
Consultancy and contracting: 70229, 62020, 62012
Management consultancy (70229) and IT consultancy (62020) are the usual choices for one-person contractor companies. They belong to head offices and management consultancy and computer programming and consultancy, which has 268,725 active companies.
Catch-all codes: 82990, 96090, 74909
When nothing else fits, founders choose an "other n.e.c." code. 82990 other business support services is the fourth most common code in the UK, and the office administration and business support division has 180,424 active companies. These codes tell a credit controller or buyer very little about what a company really does.
Online retail: 47910
47910 retail via mail order or the internet has grown sharply among new companies. 45,205 surviving companies formed in 2025 declare it, 2.5 times the 17,880 from 2024. It makes up a large part of the retail trade division. See UK incorporations by year for the 2025 cohort.
Residents property management: 98000
126,192 companies are owned by flat owners to manage the freehold or common parts of a building. Statistically they sit in household activities, which is why that section has the oldest median age on the register. 34.8% of active companies in the households section last filed dormant accounts, against 10.8% across the UK.
Holding and status codes: 64209, 99999, 74990
64209 is used by holding companies of groups of all sizes (financial services including holding companies). 99999 (dormant company) and 74990 (non-trading company) describe a status rather than an activity.
Why SIC code counts need care
A company chooses its own SIC codes and can give up to four of them (Companies House blog, choosing a SIC code). The register records what the company declares, and a code chosen at incorporation can stay unchanged for years. We count only the first code listed, so a company that lists 62020 and 70229 appears under 62020. A count by any listed code would be higher for most codes. What a code means is explained in what is a SIC code.
Methodology
Source: Companies House Free Company Data Product (BasicCompanyData), snapshot of 1 October 2026, 5,704,711 live companies (all statuses except dissolved). Each company is counted once by its first SIC code; 5,456,891 companies have a valid 5-digit code and the rest, mainly limited partnerships, LLPs, charitable incorporated organisations and overseas entities, have none. Descriptions follow the register. Division counts are of active companies. 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). What are the most common SIC codes in the UK? Global Mindset Marketing Ltd. https://data.globalmindsetmarketing.co.uk/data/most-common-sic-codes-uk
Our company search shows the SIC codes of any UK company next to its latest accounts.
FAQ
What is the most common SIC code in the UK?
68209, other letting and operating of own or leased real estate. On 1 October 2026 it was the first SIC code of 284,610 live companies, 5.0% of the register. Second was 68100, buying and selling of own real estate, with 259,676 companies, so two property codes cover 9.6% of all live companies.
How many SIC codes are there in the UK?
731 different 5-digit codes were in use as the first SIC code of at least one live company on 1 October 2026. Use is very uneven: the 30 most common codes cover 51.5% of companies, and 88 codes are each used by fewer than 100 companies.
What does SIC code 99999 mean?
99999 is the code for a dormant company. 104,507 live companies listed it first on 1 October 2026. It says nothing about the business the company might carry on later, and a company can file dormant accounts while showing a trading code.
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