21,084 active companies are currently registered in Derby, a major UK business hub. Out of 25,297 companies ever registered here, 1,562 are no longer active — a 83% survival rate. The area has seen significant recent growth, with 57.7% of active businesses incorporated since 2020. Over half (69%) of active companies were formed since 2020, making this one of the UK's fastest-growing business locations. The most common industry sector is other letting and operating of own or leased real estate, with 1,499 companies. The area hosts 198 large enterprises, 210 small firms. Derby is home to 404 FCA-regulated firms and 196 registered charities. Companies here hold 790 government contracts worth £2.4B in total. The average company age is 7.7 years. The earliest company registration in Derby dates back to 1867.
Source: Companies House register via UVAGATRON, September 2026
Derby is a growth hotspot — over half of its active companies were formed since 2020.
The average active company in Derby is 7.7 years old. There are 404 <Link href="/glossary/fca-financial-conduct-authority">FCA-regulated firms</Link> in the area. 196 registered charities operate locally.
Companies in Derby have been awarded 790 government contracts with a combined value of £2435.8M. See the Top Government Contractors report.
There are 21,084 active companies registered in Derby, out of 25,297 total. 1,562 (6%) are no longer active.
The top industries in Derby include Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate (1,499 companies), Buying and selling of own real estate (1,304 companies), Management consultancy activities other than financial management (869 companies).
57.7% of currently active companies in Derby were incorporated since 2020, indicating strong recent growth.
Our database contains 139,133 data signals across 12 categories for active companies in Derby. The largest category is Governance with 64,069 signals from 6 sources.
The oldest company registration in Derby dates back to 1867, spanning over 159 years of business history.