Two answers, both right
There are two official answers to how many businesses there are in the UK. They differ by nearly three million. Neither of them is wrong.
Every figure is cited on screen. Company examples are fictional specimens.
Music: Inspired by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 4.0
Transcript
- 0:00
There are two official answers to how many businesses there are in the UK. They differ by nearly three million. Neither of them is wrong.
- 0:12
The Office for National Statistics counts about 2.86 million, businesses registered for VAT or payroll. The Department for Business and Trade counts 5.7 million, including the very small firms below both thresholds.
- 0:31
The gap is mostly one-person businesses. About 4.3 million of that 5.7 employ nobody but the owner. So if you are sizing a market you can actually sell to, the smaller number is usually the honest one.
- 0:49
Next, counts and rates. London creates more businesses than Northern Ireland every year, because London is bigger. That tells you almost nothing. Use a rate whenever you compare places or trades of different sizes.
- 1:06
And mind the lag. The annual figures for 2024 were published in November 2025. Always say which year a number describes, not the year you read it.
- 1:20
Free data, read properly. Then the names to go with it.
About this film
Two answers, both right runs 1:28, read by Cillian and appears on Leadistry's Blog page. The full narration is above in 6 sections, so you can read it instead of watching if that is quicker. Every figure shown on screen comes from the Companies House public record or a named published source, and the companies used as examples are fictional specimens rather than real customers.