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Business: Closures

Asked by Lee AndersonReform UKDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 27 February 2026UIN 114125

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of business closures on the UK economy.

Answered by Blair McDougall

The latest statistics show that, on average, 312,000 businesses closed per year between 2019-2024, with 280,000 businesses closing in 2024. However, business births have exceeded closures over this period.

The table below illustrates the total business closures from 2019-2024, broken down for each year:

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

303,495

300,475

328,495

348,675

309,685

280,375

The table below illustrates the total business births from 2019-2024, broken down for each year:

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

363,825

333,015

363,995

336,925

316,025

317,435

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