Statistics of companies in UK
Companies population in Northern Ireland
Number of companies in region Northern Ireland is 151,570, which is 1.3% of all 11,315,337 companies in UK. Northern Ireland is ranked 12th among 12 regions in the number of companies. Last update of company data was on 31/05/2025.
Companies location and business activity breakdown in Northern Ireland
The region with the highest number of companies - 45,736 is Belfast. Moyle has the lowest number of companies - 508. The top three most frequently registered business activities are Wholesale, retail - 22.7%, Construction - 10.9% and Science - 9.5%.
Number of companies by county 151,570 companies with data in Northern Ireland
Business activity overview 145,393 companies with data in Northern Ireland
Industrial classification of companies in Northern Ireland
The Standard Industrial Classification code (SIC code) is a system of classifying industries in UK by business activities. Each company can operate under multiple SIC codes. The top three business activities for the whole of the UK are Retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet - 8.8%, Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate - 4.3% and Dormant - 3.9%.
Distribution of companies by SIC CODE 145,393 companies with data in Northern Ireland
Companies population incorporation and dissolution trend in Northern Ireland
The highest number of incorporated companies in any one month is 2,474 in in April 2024. There are usually fewer dissolved companies than incorporated, the highest number recorded being for February 2025 - 1,634 companies were dissolved.
Incorporation and dissolution of companies by month Northern Ireland
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Persons with significant control
in companies in Northern Ireland
Persons with Significant Control (PSC) have been registered in Companies House since April 2016. PSC have various functions, e.g. ownership of shares or voting rights. In this section we analyse companies with at least one Person with Significant Control from a foreign country.
Top countries with local PSCs in companies in Northern Ireland
The most popular country, as regards to PSC origin, is China. In May 2025, there were 3,122 companies with at least one PCS from China. Other popular countries are Ireland, United States and Pakistan.
Top 10 countries with local PSCs Northern Ireland
Percentage of companies with foreign PSCs being incorporated each month in the Northern Ireland
The highest proportion of companies with a foreign PSC to be incorporated in one month was in December 2023 - 26.15%. Since 2017 the number of dissolutions has exceeded the number of new incorporations. The highest proportion to be dissolved in one month was 28.41% was in March 2025. The low number of dissolutions in 2016 is the result of only a small number of companies registering their PSC in Company House in that year.
