Report November 2021

In a nutshell

We analyse Companies House “basic company data” up to the October 31st, 2021. We note a slowdown in company registration relative to September 2021. However, firm creation among active firms remains stronger than the same period in 2019.

Highlights

  1. Business creation decreased 1.8% between September 2021 and October 2021.
  2. Business creation was 13.4% lower in October 2021 than in October 2020.
  3. The largest number of company registrations occurs in ‘Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles’ and ‘Manufacturing’.

Aggregate Analysis

Daily

The chart below shows the daily company incorporations in the UK since January 2020. The lockdown periods correspond to our key dates timeline.

Jan 2020Apr 2020Jul 2020Oct 2020Jan 2021Apr 2021Jul 2021Oct 2021050010001500200025003000350040004500
Median (total)Median (during lockdown I)Median (post-lockdown I)Median (during lockdown II)Median (post-lockdown II)Median (during lockdown III)Median (post-lockdown III)Daily Company RegistrationsNumber of registrations
Download histogram data as:
Download statistics as:

  • Business creation decreased by 1.8% between September and October 2021.
  • 17,081 additional companies were registered in September 2021 relative to September 2019.
  • 9,744 less company registrations are noticed in October 2021 relative to October 2020.
  • The median daily registrations were 36.67% higher in October 2021 than October 2019.

The chart below shows the rolling average of firm creation since January 2019. Shaded areas correspond to lockdown periods as shown our key dates timeline.

Jul 2019Jan 2020Jul 2020Jan 2021Jul 2021050010001500200025003000
7-day rolling average of company registrationsNumber of registrations
Download rolling average data as:

Relative

Company registrations persistently exceed their 2019 levels. However, we notice a slowdown, which persists the last few months.

10203040500.511.522.5
2021/20192020/2019Ratio of company registrations​(Same week of reference in 2019)​WeeksRatio
Download data as:

October

Daily average company registrations in October 2021 are 13.4% lower than October 2020, but 37.3% higher than October 2019 among the active firms.

201920202021050010001500200025003000
Daily median company registrations in OctoberNumber of registrations
Download data as:

Regional Analysis

Postcode Area

The map shows the average percentage change in new registrations in October 2021 compared to October 2019.

Country

The following graph aggregates business creation by country. London, followed by Wales and Northern Ireland, dominates business registrations.

Download data as:

London

Within London, most of the business creation in October 2021 comes from Central and North London.

5101520253035400100200300400500
Central LondonEast LondonNorth LondonSouth East LondonSouth West LondonWest LondonChange of company registrations in October by London Areas​(Same week of reference in 2019)​Weeks% change
Download data as:

Sectoral Analysis

SIC Sections

The graph illustrates company registrations in October 2021 relative to 2019 by industrial sector. It compares the percentage change in 2021 relative to 2019 for each week of the year. We use 4-digit SIC levels (ONS “Classes”) and group them into broader sectors (ONS “Sections”). We use the ONS classification. We show a selection of sectors that present notable changes.

510152025303540−50050100150200250300
Accommodation and food service activitiesAdministrative and support service activitiesArts, entertainment and recreationConstructionFinancial and insurance activitiesManufacturingReal estate activitiesTransportation and storageWholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcyclesChange of company registrations by sector​(Same week of reference in 2019)​Weeks% change
Download data as:

  • October 2021 retains higher firm creation in most sectors than October 2019.
  • ‘Wholesale, and Retail Trade’, ‘Manufacturing’ and ‘Financial and insurance activities’ sectors show the greatest increase in firm creation in October 2021.
  • Compared to October 2019, in October 2021 there is more than a 300% increase in business creation for ‘Reproduction of recorded media’, ‘Operation of dairies and cheese making’, Combined office administrative service activities' and ‘Administration of financial markets' sectors.
  • There are lower registrations relative to October 2019 in ‘Warehousing and storage', ‘Service activities incidental to land transportation’ and ‘Tour operator activities'.

Last updated on Nov 1, 2021