41,704 active companies are currently registered in Leicester, a major UK business hub. Out of 53,433 companies ever registered here, 6,844 are no longer active — a 78% survival rate. The area has seen significant recent growth, with 58.9% of active businesses incorporated since 2020. Over half (76%) of active companies were formed since 2020, making this one of the UK's fastest-growing business locations. The most common industry sector is buying and selling of own real estate, with 2,809 companies. The area hosts 287 large enterprises, 367 small firms. Leicester is home to 937 FCA-regulated firms and 363 registered charities. Companies here hold 1,940 government contracts worth £5.1B in total. The average company age is 7.5 years. The earliest company registration in Leicester dates back to 1885.
Source: Companies House register via UVAGATRON, October 2026
Leicester is a growth hotspot — over half of its active companies were formed since 2020.
The average active company in Leicester is 7.5 years old. There are 937 <Link href="/glossary/fca-financial-conduct-authority">FCA-regulated firms</Link> in the area. 363 registered charities operate locally.
Companies in Leicester have been awarded 1,940 government contracts with a combined value of £5124.8M. See the Top Government Contractors report.
There are 41,704 active companies registered in Leicester, out of 53,433 total. 6,844 (13%) are no longer active.
The top industries in Leicester include Buying and selling of own real estate (2,809 companies), Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate (2,637 companies), Retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet (1,542 companies).
58.9% of currently active companies in Leicester were incorporated since 2020, indicating strong recent growth.
Our database contains 365,166 data signals across 12 categories for active companies in Leicester. The largest category is Governance with 173,093 signals from 6 sources.
The oldest company registration in Leicester dates back to 1885, spanning over 141 years of business history.