Business

The total number of private-sector businesses in the UK, up from around 4.5 million in 2010 to roughly 5.7 million today. Almost all of that growth is at the smallest end — one-person businesses with no employees, now three-quarters of the total. The count dipped in 2021 and 2022 as the pandemic and rising costs pushed many sole traders to close, then recovered. Fewer than one in four UK businesses actually employ anyone.