economy
business
Trends in the number of private sector enterprises in the Greater West of England, the decade up to 2025
This data insight breaks down changes over time in the number of businesses in the Greater West of England.
The Greater West of England is defined here as Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire.
The data are compiled from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR).
-3.1%
Number of private enterprises in the Greater West of England, 2020-2025
-6%
Number of private enterprises in Swindon, 2020-2025
613
Number of private enterprises per 10,000 working age adults in the Greater West of England, 2025
Private sector enterprises in the Greater West of England, change 2020-2025 (%)
The number of private sector enterprises in the Greater West of England was 3.1% lower in 2025 than in 2020. This is compared to a drop of 1% in England excluding London.
Since 2020, all local authority private enterprise counts have dropped, with Swindon having the largest decrease (6.1%) - a much larger change than both the Greater West of England and the national figure (excluding London) of -1.2%.
Private sector enterprises in the Greater West of England, change 2015-2025 (%)
The increase in the number of private sector enterprises in the Greater West of England between 2015-2025 was 4.9%, well below that of England excluding London (10%).
Within the Greater West of England, the highest percentage increases in private sector enterprises were in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, while only Wiltshire experienced a decrease.
Private sector enterprise count in the Greater West of England, trend indexed to 2015
From 2015-2017 the indexed trend in registered business counts for the Greater West of England closely track that of England but experience a larger drop from 2017-2018 than the national average. This is followed by a period of slow growth and decline in the years after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Private sector enterprises in the Greater West of England per 10,000 working age adults, 2024
Despite the decline in the number of private sector enterprises in the Greater West of England over time, the data for 2024 show that, adjusted for population, the number of businesses remains in line with national figures, lying between the statistics for England including and excluding London.
Note that the definition of working age adults is those aged 16-64 in line with the commonly used Office for National Statistics (ONS) definition.
