Statistics of companies in UK
Companies population in South West
Number of companies in region South West is 734,933, which is 5.9% of all 12,389,253 companies in UK. South West is ranked 6th among 12 regions in the number of companies. Last update of company data was on 30/09/2026.
Companies location and business activity breakdown in South West
The region with the highest number of companies - 132,536 is Dorset. Cornwall has the lowest number of companies - 54,157. The top three most frequently registered business activities are Science - 14.8%, Wholesale, retail - 12.5% and Construction - 10.4%.
Number of companies by county 734,933 companies with data in South West
Business activity overview 704,816 companies with data in South West
Industrial classification of companies in South West
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 Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate - 5.3%, Management consultancy exl. financial - 5.3% and Other business support service - 4.0%.
Distribution of companies by SIC CODE 704,816 companies with data in South West
Companies population incorporation and dissolution trend in South West
The highest number of incorporated companies in any one month is 4,587 in in March 2021. There are usually fewer dissolved companies than incorporated, the highest number recorded being for March 2021 - 5,271 companies were dissolved.
Incorporation and dissolution of companies by month South West
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Persons with significant control
in companies in South West
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 South West
The most popular country, as regards to PSC origin, is China. In January 2026, there were 890 companies with at least one PCS from China. Other popular countries are United States, Pakistan and France.
Top 10 countries with local PSCs South West
Percentage of companies with foreign PSCs being incorporated each month in the South West
The highest proportion of companies with a foreign PSC to be incorporated in one month was in August 2025 - 3.29%. Since 2017 the number of dissolutions has exceeded the number of new incorporations. The highest proportion to be dissolved in one month was 6.88% was in April 2017. 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.
