Industries with the Largest Number of Businesses in the UK in 2023

1. Management Consultants in the UK

Number of Businesses for 2023: 169,480

Over the five years through 2022-23, revenue is projected to climb at a compound annual rate of 2.3%. This growth has primarily been driven by an enhanced demand for IT consulting services. In addition, regulatory changes in the financial services sector, the industry's largest downstream market, have benefitted the industry, as banks and other financial institutions have required assistance to reformulate business strategies and operations to comply with new policies.

Plunging business confidence following the COVID-19 outbreak reduced demand for consulting services in 2020-21, as downstream companies held back on expanding their operations in the immediate aftermath of the outbreak. In... Learn More

2. Charities in the UK

Number of Businesses for 2023: 153,722

Industry revenue is expected to contract at a compound annual rate of 4.2% over the five years through 2022-23 to £49 billion. Industry growth has been constrained by falling funding from the European Union following the EU referendum in June 2016. Furthermore, high-profile scandals have prevented major players from claiming government funding and reduced support from the public. In combination with public funding cuts, charitable organisations' surplus margins have fallen while demand for social services has risen. Cuts to overseas aid budgets, announced in November 2020, are likely to further constrain revenue over the two years through 2022-23.

In 2020-21, falling... Learn More

3. Computer Consultants in the UK

Number of Businesses for 2023: 121,641

The Computer Consultants industry is composed of businesses that provide expert advice and assistance in planning and designing computer systems that integrate computer hardware, software and communication technologies. Computer consultants provide services to clients in all sectors of the economy, although the financial services and public sectors are particularly important markets. Demand for industry services is largely influenced by business confidence levels, which typically rise and fall in line with general economic conditions, and technological advancements, particularly those that are beneficial to businesses.

Over the five years through 2022-23, industry revenue is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of... Learn More

4. Construction Contractors in the UK

Number of Businesses for 2023: 74,679

Operators in the Construction Contractors industry are active across the building construction and civil engineering markets. Despite operators being remunerated for completing new building and infrastructure construction contracts or fulfilling maintenance, repair, renovation and remodelling contract obligations, the spectrum of services offered by civils and general building contractors in this industry is multifaceted. Some contractors focus on new dwellings construction, while civil engineering specialists afford clients services across the infrastructure value chain. Moreover, some contractors specialise in commercial building activity, while many independent contractors may focus on small-scale maintenance contracts in local markets.

Over the two years through 2019-20, revenue grew,... Learn More

5. Consultant Engineering Services in the UK

Number of Businesses for 2023: 72,461

The Consultant Engineering Services industry's revenue is expected to decline at a compound annual rate of 0.3% over the five years through 2022-23 to £60.8 billion. However, this is mainly the result of an estimated 13.3% fall in revenue in 2020-21, as industry demand slumped amid depressed business investment and subdued construction activity during the COVID-19 outbreak. Commercial construction deteriorated amid plunging business confidence. Nevertheless, strong infrastructure construction activity, such as electricity and telecommunications infrastructure construction, has supported industry revenue over the past five years. In addition, government capital spending has increased over the period, as highlighted by the approval... Learn More

6. E-Commerce & Online Auctions in the UK

Number of Businesses for 2023: 64,204

Companies in the E-Commerce and Online Auction industry sell a diverse range of goods through online portals. Over the past decade, the industry has undergone considerable change, switching from focusing on mail orders and direct TV and telephone sales to e-commerce, driven by the expansion and accessibility of internet services. The increasingly integrated nature of the internet and smartphones in everyday life has been pivotal in developing mobile applications and driving growth. Over the five years through 2022-23, e-commerce revenue is expected to expand at a compound annual rate of 8% to reach £47.4 billion.

E-tailers have sheltered themselves from economic... Learn More

7. Freight Road Transport in the UK

Number of Businesses for 2023: 57,521

The Freight Road Transport industry operates the most extensive transport network of all freight modes, providing much-needed flexibility and the convenience of door-to-door haulage. The industry has historically offered faster and more reliable delivery times and less damage to goods than other freight methods. According to the latest data from the Department for Transport, road transport accounted for 77.4% of all goods moved in the United Kingdom in 2020. The industry is highly competitive and fragmented, with only one company, DHL Supply Chain, accounting for a market share greater than 5%.

Industry revenue is expected to increase at a compound annual... Learn More

8. Pension Funding in the UK

Number of Businesses for 2023: 55,477

The Pension Funding industry comprises defined benefit (DB) schemes and defined contribution (DC) schemes. Over the past decade, the industry has been transformed by the ongoing shift from DB to DC schemes, which in 2021-22 are estimated to account for 61% and 39% of total industry assets respectively. Industry revenue, which is calculated by combining contributions and investment returns, has increased over the past five years. The increase in contributions was fuelled by the phased introduction of automatic enrolment in pension schemes, which began in October 2012 and was fully phased in by February 2018. Record high levels of employment... Learn More

9. Takeaway & Fast-Food Restaurants in the UK

Number of Businesses for 2023: 48,847

A growing number of busy on-the-go consumers is maintaining healthy revenue levels among takeaway and fast-food operators. Britons' growing health and sustainability awareness is presenting a significant opportunity for takeaway and fast-food businesses to introduce more expensive organic and meat-free menu items. Industry revenue is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 0.5% over the five years through 2022-23 to £21.6 billion, including forecast growth of 0.9% in 2022-23.

A weak spending environment, combined with operating challenges during the pandemic, is casting a shadow over industry performance. Although stay-at-home restrictions resulted in a spike in online ordering volumes, takeaway... Learn More

10. Electricians in the UK

Number of Businesses for 2023: 44,630

Operators in the Electricians industry install, repair and maintain electrical circuits, telecommunication transmission networks and other interconnected systems consisting of electrical elements. The performance of the electrical contracting market runs procyclical with the wider economy. The ebb and flow of both downstream construction investment activity and household spend on home improvement dictate spend on specialist trade solutions. While volatility in industry performance is diluted by the essential nature of repairs and critical maintenance - households and business property must have electric utility systems which are in safe and working order - the trajectory of growth remains sensitive to the business... Learn More