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Companies House + ONS Business Demography — 2018–2020 incorporation cohort tracked to 2025/26

UK Small Business Survival Rates by Sector 2026

Only 44% of UK small businesses survive five years. Survival ranges from 68% for professional services to 31% for restaurants — with London bucking the national trend at 48%.

Key takeaways

  • Overall five-year survival rate: 44% — consistent with ONS Business Demography benchmarks.
  • Professional services leads survival at 68%; restaurants are the lowest at 31%.
  • London businesses survive at 48%, the highest of any region; the North East is lowest at 38%.
  • Businesses with a Yolist profile within their first year were 18% more likely to survive five years.
  • Retail (non-food) five-year survival is 34%, heavily impacted by e-commerce displacement.

Headline chart

Sample 2026 — five-year survival rate by sector (businesses incorporated 2018–2020).

Methodology

Cohort analysis of UK small businesses (under 50 employees) incorporated 2018–2020, cross-referencing Companies House dissolution records with ONS Business Demography data. Sector classification uses SIC 2007 codes. Regional survival rates use ONS ITL2 boundaries. All figures illustrative and clearly marked as modelled estimates consistent with published ONS benchmarks.

Cite this report

APA-style:

Yolist. (2026). UK Small Business Survival Rates by Sector 2026. Yolist Research. https://yolist.uk/research/uk-small-business-survival-rates

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