Written Question·Department for Business and Trade·UIN 91129

Companies: Registration

Tabled: 14 November 2025
Answered: 19 November 2025

Question

Jim McMahon

Labour (Co-op)Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many companies registered with Companies House were a). trading b). dormant and c). pending strike off action for each year from 2015 to date.

Answer

Blair McDougall

The following table shows the total size of the Register of Companies and the trading status of companies in the specified periods:

Financial Year

Total register at end of period

Trading Status

Trading

Dormant

2015-16

3,678,860

3,191,442

487,418

2016-17

3,896,755

3,398,018

498,737

2017-18

4,033,355

3,528,417

504,938

2018-19

4,202,044

3,681,450

520,594

2019-20

4,350,913

3,811,504

539,409

2020-21

4,716,126

4,159,227

556,899

2021-22

4,894,356

4,294,680

599,676

2022-23

5,116,743

4,474,920

641,823

2023-24

5,350,759

4,697,033

653,726

2024-25

5,427,787

4,757,947

669,840

The following table shows the status of entities on the register at the start and end of the reporting period:

Financial Year

Total register at end of period

Effective register at end of period

In course of dissolution

In liquidation

2015-16

3,678,860

3,433,780

160,419

84,661

2016-17

3,896,755

3,648,478

159,802

88,475

2017-18

4,033,355

3,770,022

172,455

90,878

2018-19

4,202,044

3,926,374

185,065

90,605

2019-20

4,350,913

4,064,063

194,049

92,801

2020-21

4,716,126

4,410,236

210,732

95,158

2021-22

4,894,356

4,499,342

293,784

101,230

2022-23

5,116,743

4,645,402

364,998

106,343

2023-24

5,350,759

4,876,374

365,033

109,352

2024-25

5,427,787

4,872,293

443,076

112,418

Figures in both tables are extracted from management information. They are unaudited and subject to change.

Due to timing differences, discrepancies can occur between the register status statistics and the trading status statistics. Consequently, the trading status statistics have been adjusted proportionally to align with the Official Statistics publication.

A review of the statistics regularly published is ongoing.