4.6 million active small and micro companies
There are 4.6 million active small and micro private limited companies on the Companies House register, out of 5,144,267 still listed: 8.0% are being struck off and 2.0% are in liquidation or administration. By the accounts they file, 34.9% of active ones are micro-entities and 29.3% small, while 24.6% haven't filed accounts yet, mostly because they are new: 27.7% are under two years old. The biggest sectors are property (16.6%) and consulting & professional (14.5%).
Small and micro private limited companies on the Companies House register, as at 30 September 2026. Status covers every one still on the register; size, age and sector cover active ones. Size is the type of accounts last filed.
66,205 new private limited companies, up 17.3% on August
66,205 new private limited companies were registered in September 2026, 9,750 more than in August (56,455). For comparison, last year September came in 13.1% above August. This year's move was similar.
Software & IT is the fastest-rising kind of new company
Property companies were the largest group, at 11.2% of September's new companies, growing 20% slower than new companies overall compared with September 2025. Software & IT grew fastest, 38% faster than the market, to reach 10.6% of new companies.
"vs market" compares each sector's growth with new companies overall, September 2026 against September 2025. Sector is the first business activity the founder declared.
London leads the regions, at 3.4 times Northern Ireland's rate
Measured per head, London registered 13.3 new companies for every 10,000 residents, 3.4 times Northern Ireland's rate (3.9). The North West (8.2) and the West Midlands (8.0) follow.
Virtual-office addresses are left out: about 1 in 5 new companies register at one, most of them in central London. Place is the registered office.
Outside London, Manchester leads the big cities
Outside London, Manchester registered the most new companies per head (14.5 per 10,000), ahead of Birmingham (12.6) and Liverpool (10.2). Belfast is last of the big cities (5.0). Each city is its council area, and some are drawn tightly around the city centre.
29,240 small and micro companies face their first accounts deadline in October
29,240 small and micro companies have their first-ever accounts due in October, then 34,865 in November and 47,491 in December. Their first confirmation statements come round sooner: 54,736 are due in October alone.
Active small and micro companies as at 30 September 2026. Overdue means past the due date on the Companies House register.
- Small and micro private limited companies on the Companies House register, as at 30 September 2026. Larger companies filing full or group accounts are left out.
- Place is the registered office. Per-head rates leave out virtual-office addresses and use ONS population estimates.
- Headline totals are checked against Companies House's own published figures every month.
These figures are estimates from public Companies House and ONS data. They may differ from other sources and can change as records are updated. They are for general information only, not financial, legal or tax advice, and should be used at your own discretion.
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