Business Size & Enterprise Density
Live ONS UK Business Counts census outlining active company registrations, employee size distributions, and large enterprise concentrations by region.
Regional Enterprise Size Distribution Index (2025)
| Region | Total Firms ↓ | Micro (0-9) % | Small (10-49) % | Medium (50-249) % | Large (250+) % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 538,320 | 90.1% | 7.8% | 1.6% | 0.48% |
| South East | 404,910 | 89.6% | 8.4% | 1.6% | 0.41% |
| East | 271,475 | 89.7% | 8.4% | 1.5% | 0.36% |
| North West | 265,795 | 88.4% | 9.5% | 1.7% | 0.44% |
| South West | 235,320 | 89.0% | 9.1% | 1.5% | 0.33% |
| West Midlands | 216,145 | 88.9% | 9.1% | 1.6% | 0.45% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 190,755 | 88.3% | 9.6% | 1.7% | 0.43% |
| East Midlands | 181,025 | 88.9% | 9.0% | 1.6% | 0.43% |
| Scotland | 173,100 | 87.6% | 10.4% | 1.7% | 0.41% |
| Wales | 104,820 | 89.1% | 9.1% | 1.5% | 0.31% |
| Northern Ireland | 80,085 | 89.6% | 8.6% | 1.5% | 0.31% |
| North East | 72,875 | 87.5% | 10.2% | 1.8% | 0.51% |
UK Business Demographics Commentary
The enterprise size distribution shows that micro-enterprises (employing between 0 and 9 people) represent the vast majority of active businesses in every UK region, consistently exceeding 88% to 90% of all registered firms.
In regions like the South West and Wales, micro-businesses represent an even higher share of the local economy. In contrast, metropolitan hubs like London and the North West (covering Manchester and Liverpool) contain the highest absolute counts and percentage shares of large-scale enterprises (employing over 250 people), serving as the national bases for global corporations, manufacturing groups, and banking headquarters.
Large Firms Leaderboard
Regions ranked by the absolute number of large corporations (250+ employees).