The Office for National Statistics reports 79,325 new businesses were registered across the UK between April and June 2026, a 2.2 per cent rise on the same quarter last year, with business administration and support services recording the strongest growth of any sector.
The figures show 79,325 business creations in Quarter 2 (April to June) 2026 — a modest but meaningful rebound after a difficult start to the year. Quarter 1 (January to March) 2026 had produced just 78,655 births, with roughly 83,200 closures recorded in the same period, leaving a net loss of around 4,500 firms. That was the lowest quarterly creation total since records began in 2017.
The 2.2 per cent year-on-year increase is measured against revised Q2 2025 data — ONS applied a 3.2 per cent reduction to business creation estimates covering Q2 2025 through to Q1 2026 as part of ongoing methodological adjustments to its experimental quarterly series. ONS compiles these figures from the Inter-Departmental Business Register, which tracks businesses registered for VAT and/or PAYE. Because the series is experimental, the statistics office advises caution when reading too much into short-term quarter-on-quarter shifts.
Business administration and support services — which covers office administration, employment placement, facilities management, travel agencies and related functions — recorded the most significant sectoral increase in Q2 2026, according to ONS. That’s relevant for Kent, where logistics administration tied to the county’s ports and back-office services in towns such as Maidstone, Ashford and Canterbury form a sizeable part of the local business landscape. A national uptick in this sector could translate into new start-ups and job openings closer to home.
For context, the full year 2025 saw 313,715 business births against 285,245 deaths across the UK — a net gain of 28,470 firms, according to Business Population Estimates published by the Department for Business and Trade. So annual formation remained positive heading into 2026, even as the first quarter dipped sharply.
Yet the Q2 recovery is modest. Economic commentators have linked weak business formation and higher closure rates to rising borrowing costs, inflationary pressure and broader uncertainty — and a single quarter’s uptick doesn’t reverse those conditions. Whether the administration and support services trend holds into the second half of 2026 is unclear.
Kent Entrepreneurs: Where to Get Support
- Kent & Medway Growth Hub offers free business advice, signposting and support programmes for new and growing businesses across the county
- Kent County Council and district councils run business advisory services that draw on ONS sector data to target support at high-growth areas
- Kent & Medway Economic Partnership coordinates regional economic strategy and can direct prospective business owners to relevant grants and resources
Source: @ONS