UK professional, scientific & technical business deaths
UK professional, scientific & technical business deaths stood at 12,425 Businesses in Q2 2026, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Business births, deaths and companies table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q1 2017 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Business births, deaths and companies table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business deaths by industry | |||||||||||
| Professional, scientific and technical activities | 12,425 | 12,675 | 9,440 | 9,015 | 11,870 | 11,670 | 9,555 | 9,145 | 11,600 | 11,665 | |
| Retail | 6,540 | 7,045 | 5,760 | 5,800 | 6,510 | 7,240 | 6,405 | 6,380 | 6,575 | 8,485 |
Understanding UK professional, scientific & technical business deaths
Corporate closures within specialised consultancy, scientific research, legal, and engineering fields across the United Kingdom are isolated by this professional services metric. Unlike manufacturing or retail counterparts, enterprises in this domain typically involve minimal physical capital, meaning deregistrations often reflect consultancy winding-downs or personal partnership dissolutions rather than asset liquidation. The count tracks entities disappearing from official tax and regulatory registers.
Interpreting these quarterly statistics requires accounting for the prevalence of personal service companies that may dissolve rapidly following shifts in tax regulations or contracting arrangements. Analysts should avoid treating every deregistration in this category as a business failure, since many closures follow planned project completions or retirement. Comparisons with broader industrial deaths highlight the distinct vulnerability profile of knowledge-intensive service providers.
Frequently asked questions
- What types of activities are grouped into this death series?
- Legal, accounting, architectural, engineering, scientific research, and management consultancy firms.
- Do personal service company closures count as business deaths?
- Yes, if a registered corporate entity in these professional fields ceases tax reporting, it enters the register.
- Are professional service deaths usually tied to financial distress?
- Not necessarily, as many reflect contract completions, retirements, or shifts in freelance tax arrangements.