New companies in the UK, August 2026
58,147 companies were incorporated in the UK in August 2026 — 15% fewer than in July 2026 and 9% below August 2025 counting companies still on the register. That is about 2,769 a working day. Roughly 21,131 (36%) are expected to become trading businesses, and 15% were registered at a mass-formation or virtual-office address. London led with 19,747. Among councils with 30 or more, East Lothian rose most (+63% to 49).
Published 15 September 2026 · Companies House public register (OGL) · free to quote with attribution to Salenovo · councils.csv · regions.csv · JSON
By region
| Region | August 2026 | July 2026 | Change | Expected to trade | At agent addresses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 19,747 | 23,923 | −17% | 7,286 | 37% |
| North West | 6,183 | 7,197 | −14% | 2,198 | 4% |
| South East | 6,105 | 7,187 | −15% | 2,252 | 1% |
| East of England | 5,083 | 5,933 | −14% | 1,867 | 15% |
| West Midlands | 4,731 | 5,593 | −15% | 1,661 | 3% |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 3,576 | 4,129 | −13% | 1,253 | 1% |
| Scotland | 3,203 | 3,160 | +1% | 1,163 | 2% |
| East Midlands | 2,970 | 3,428 | −13% | 1,079 | 0% |
| South West | 2,694 | 3,159 | −15% | 985 | 4% |
| Wales | 1,525 | 1,758 | −13% | 549 | 0% |
| North East | 1,416 | 1,685 | −16% | 508 | 0% |
| Northern Ireland | 746 | 748 | 0% | 271 | 0% |
What they do
| Sector (SIC section) | Companies | Share | Share, previous month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail & wholesale | 12,232 | 21.0% | 20.3% |
| IT & media | 6,983 | 12.0% | 12.4% |
| Professional services | 5,792 | 10.0% | 10.0% |
| Property | 5,303 | 9.1% | 9.6% |
| Construction | 5,216 | 9.0% | 8.8% |
| Hospitality & food | 4,181 | 7.2% | 7.4% |
| Business support | 3,474 | 6.0% | 5.9% |
| Finance & insurance | 2,462 | 4.2% | 4.5% |
| Transport & logistics | 2,304 | 4.0% | 3.7% |
| Manufacturing | 2,066 | 3.5% | 3.5% |
| Health & social care | 1,969 | 3.4% | 3.5% |
| Other services | 1,831 | 3.1% | 3.2% |
Biggest movers
Councils with at least 30 incorporations in both months. Small councils move a lot from month to month; treat a single month's change as a prompt to look, not a trend.
| Rising | Region | August 2026 | July 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Lothian | Scotland | 49 | 30 | +63% |
| Dumfries and Galloway | Scotland | 60 | 40 | +50% |
| West Lindsey | East Midlands | 74 | 51 | +45% |
| Lisburn and Castlereagh | Northern Ireland | 50 | 38 | +32% |
| East Ayrshire | Scotland | 74 | 57 | +30% |
| Blaby | East Midlands | 89 | 69 | +29% |
| Ribble Valley | North West | 56 | 45 | +24% |
| North Devon | South West | 47 | 38 | +24% |
| Falling | Region | August 2026 | July 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chesterfield | East Midlands | 38 | 77 | -51% |
| North Kesteven | East Midlands | 38 | 66 | -42% |
| Bassetlaw | East Midlands | 41 | 70 | -41% |
| Mole Valley | South East | 43 | 72 | -40% |
| Eastbourne | South East | 63 | 103 | -39% |
| Stafford | West Midlands | 53 | 86 | -38% |
| Uttlesford | East of England | 51 | 82 | -38% |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | West Midlands | 48 | 77 | -38% |
Busiest councils
Raw counts favour the London boroughs where formation agents and virtual offices are based; the agent-address share shows how much of each total is that.
| Council | Region | August 2026 | July 2026 | Change | Expected to trade | At agent addresses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camden | London | 3,325 | 3,645 | −9% | 785 | 82% |
| Hackney | London | 2,379 | 3,243 | −27% | 1,516 | 84% |
| Islington | London | 1,896 | 2,342 | −19% | 544 | 85% |
| Westminster | London | 1,454 | 1,767 | −18% | 671 | 45% |
| Birmingham | West Midlands | 1,330 | 1,606 | −17% | 459 | 0% |
| Manchester | North West | 1,095 | 1,343 | −18% | 349 | 14% |
| Newham | London | 873 | 1,060 | −18% | 267 | 0% |
| Tower Hamlets | London | 831 | 983 | −15% | 291 | 13% |
| West Suffolk | East of England | 746 | 781 | −4% | 267 | 87% |
| Glasgow City | Scotland | 675 | 655 | +3% | 241 | 2% |
| Redbridge | London | 653 | 781 | −16% | 227 | 0% |
| Leeds | Yorkshire and The Humber | 613 | 739 | −17% | 227 | 2% |
| Hillingdon | London | 601 | 635 | −5% | 185 | 19% |
| Barnet | London | 567 | 712 | −20% | 214 | 2% |
| Waltham Forest | London | 553 | 648 | −15% | 190 | 0% |
| Bradford | Yorkshire and The Humber | 495 | 515 | −4% | 166 | 0% |
| Liverpool | North West | 482 | 494 | −2% | 172 | 3% |
| City of Edinburgh | Scotland | 475 | 477 | 0% | 175 | 12% |
| Harrow | London | 466 | 599 | −22% | 172 | 0% |
| Brent | London | 454 | 532 | −15% | 153 | 0% |
| Buckinghamshire | South East | 448 | 507 | −12% | 166 | 0% |
| Leicester | East Midlands | 433 | 467 | −7% | 150 | 0% |
| Ealing | London | 413 | 523 | −21% | 144 | 0% |
| Wolverhampton | West Midlands | 384 | 465 | −17% | 126 | 0% |
| Croydon | London | 380 | 480 | −21% | 132 | 2% |
The full table for all 360 councils is in councils.csv. Each council also has a weekly page with this week's companies: find yours.
Method, in brief
Every incorporation on the Companies House register is counted on the day it was formed (companies limited by shares or guarantee and LLPs). "Expected to trade" applies the historical trading rate of companies formed at the same mass-formation address or in the same SIC section, from 447,000 companies with known outcomes; it is an estimate for the group, not a judgement on any company. Year-earlier comparisons count companies still on the register today and are therefore biased downwards. Full method and accuracy.