Business demography by area and year

Standard shorthand is used in this table: [p] = provisional, [t] = total, [x] = not available.

Data values	Data description	Year	Area
[x]	Birth Rate	2003	East
[x]	Birth Rate	2003	West Midlands
[x]	Birth Rate	2003	East Midlands
[x]	Birth Rate	2002	South West
[x]	Birth Rate	2003	Yorkshire and the Humber
[x]	Birth Rate	2003	North West
[x]	Birth Rate	2003	Great Britain
[x]	Birth Rate	2003	North East
[x]	Birth Rate	2002	North West
[x]	Active enterprises	2003	South West
[x]	Active enterprises	2003	Scotland
[x]	Birth Rate	2002	East Midlands
[x]	Birth Rate	2002	London
[x]	Birth Rate	2002	Scotland
[x]	Birth Rate	2002	South East
[x]	Active enterprises	2003	South East
[x]	Active enterprises	2003	Northern Ireland
[x]	Birth Rate	2003	England
[x]	Birth Rate	2002	England
[x]	Active enterprises	2002	South East
[x]	Active enterprises	2002	North West
[x]	Active enterprises	2003	London
[x]	Active enterprises	2002	Scotland
[x]	Active enterprises	2003	Yorkshire and the Humber
[x]	Births	2002	Yorkshire and the Humber
[x]	Active enterprises	2002	East
[x]	Active enterprises	2002	London
[x]	Birth Rate	2002	North East
[x]	Active enterprises	2003	North East
[x]	Birth Rate	2002	West Midlands
[x]	Deaths	2003	East
[x]	Birth Rate	2002	Yorkshire and the Humber
[x]	Active enterprises	2003	Great Britain
[x]	Active enterprises	2003	East
[x]	Active enterprises	2002	East Midlands
[x]	Active enterprises	2002	Northern Ireland
[x]	Deaths	2002	Northern Ireland
[x]	Birth Rate	2002	Northern Ireland
[x]	Active enterprises	2003	North West
[x]	Active enterprises	2002	North East
[x]	Active enterprises	2002	Yorkshire and the Humber
[x]	Deaths	2003	London
[x]	Deaths	2003	East Midlands
[x]	Deaths	2003	Great Britain
[x]	Active enterprises	2003	West Midlands
[x]	Deaths	2003	South West
[x]	Active enterprises	2002	Great Britain
[x]	Deaths	2002	East
[x]	Births	2002	England
[x]	Births	2003	East
[x]	Births	2003	London
[x]	Births	2003	South East
[x]	Births	2003	South West
[x]	Deaths	2002	West Midlands
[x]	Births	2002	East Midlands
[x]	Deaths	2002	Yorkshire and the Humber
[x]	Active enterprises	2002	West Midlands
[x]	Active enterprises	2002	England
[x]	Deaths	2003	South East
[x]	Deaths	2002	Scotland
[x]	Active enterprises	2003	England
[x]	Deaths	2003	West Midlands
[x]	Births	2002	West Midlands
[x]	Deaths	2003	England
[x]	Births	2002	Great Britain
[x]	Active enterprises	2002	South West
[x]	Births	2002	North East
[x]	Deaths	2003	North East
[x]	Active enterprises	2003	East Midlands
[x]	Deaths	2003	Northern Ireland
[x]	Births	2002	East
[x]	Deaths	2003	Yorkshire and the Humber
[x]	Deaths	2003	Scotland
[x]	Deaths	2003	North West
[x]	Deaths	2002	England
[x]	Deaths	2002	South East
[x]	Birth Rate	2002	Great Britain
[x]	Birth Rate	2002	East
[x]	Births	2002	London
[x]	Deaths	2002	North West
[x]	Births	2002	Scotland
[x]	Births	2003	Scotland
[x]	Births	2003	Northern Ireland
[x]	Births	2002	Northern Ireland
[x]	Births	2002	North West
[x]	Deaths	2002	South West
[x]	Births	2003	Great Britain
[x]	Births	2002	South East
[x]	Births	2003	England
[x]	Deaths	2002	East Midlands
[x]	Births	2003	North East
[x]	Deaths	2002	North East
[x]	Births	2003	North West
[x]	Deaths	2002	London
[x]	Births	2003	Yorkshire and the Humber
[x]	Births	2002	South West
[x]	Births	2003	East Midlands
[x]	Deaths	2002	Great Britain
[x]	Births	2003	West Midlands
[x]	Birth Rate	2003	London

Showing 1 to 100 of 7,392 rows

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Main information

• Most recent update: 24 September 2025
• Next update expected: December 2025
• Designation: Accredited official statistics
• Data provider 1: Office for National Statistics (ONS)
• Data source 1: Business demography
• Data provider 2: Office for National Statistics (ONS)
• Data source 2: Mid-year population estimates

Data notes

• Rounding applied:

  Business births, deaths and active enterprises have been rounded to the nearest 5, rates are rounded to 1 decimal place, and per 10,000 population to the nearest whole number.

Overview

• Summary of dataset and variables:

  This dataset details business births, deaths and active enterprises by measure, area and year.

  Active enterprises are businesses that had either turnover or employment at any time during the reference period (December to December).

  A birth is defined as a business that was present in year t, but did not exist in year t-1 or t-2. Births are identified by making a comparison of annual active population files and identifying those present in the latest one, but not the two previous ones.

  A death is defined as a business that was on the active file in year t but no longer present on the active file for year t+1 or t+2. To produce more timely statistics, the UK business demography statistics contain a preliminary death indicator, which includes an adjustment for estimated reactivations. Reactivations occur where a business becomes dormant for a period of less than 2 years, then recommences activity in a manner which complies with a definition of continuity. If the definition of continuity is not met (e.g. if a business recommences activity but at a different location and with a different activity), this would be considered a death followed by a birth. Reactivations can also occur due to lags in the administrative data source (VAT/PAYE) so that a business that continues to trade can appear to die. The deaths data exclude losses to the population as a result of mergers, break-ups, split-offs or other re-structuring.

• Data collection or calculation:

  ONS use data from the IDBR to produce business demography statistics, using guidelines found in the Eurostat/OECD manual on Business Demography. The starting point for demography is the concept of a population of active businesses in a reference year. These are defined as businesses that had either turnover or employment at any time during the reference period. Births and deaths are then identified by comparing active populations for different years.

  Birth and death rates are calculated as a percentage of active enterprises.

  Births, deaths and active enterprises per 10,000 of the population aged 16 to 64 are calculated using ONS' population estimates, which are currently available up to 2023.

• Statistical quality:

  Totals may differ slightly between the area and industry breakdowns due to the disclosure control methods used.

  Please note, levels for Welsh economic regions and all rates (including per 10,000 population figures) have been calculated using the rounded figures, published by the Office for National Statistics.

  The latest two years' estimates on deaths are subject to revision, which would normally be made in the following year's publication.

• Related reports:
  • Welsh Government - Business demography (English)
  • Welsh Government - Business demography (Welsh)
  • ONS - Business demography (English)
  • ONS - Business demography quality and methodology information (English)

Published by

• Organisation: Welsh Government
• Contact email: economic.stats@gov.wales

Metadata

The metadata for this dataset is not included when you download the data. You can download this separately. This contains all the information from the 'About this dataset' tab.