Diversity Index – Gender Insights on UK Business Ownership

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Active Companies

5.37M+

Female-Owned Businesses

769K+

Male-Owned Businesses

2.13M+

Industry
Regions
Risk Profile
Turnover

The largest sectors are Professional, Scientific, and Technical Activities (15.65%), Wholesale and Retail Trade (14.97%), and Human Health and Social Work (9.30%). Other significant industries include Real Estate (9.00%), Administrative and Support Services (10.31%), and Other Service Activities (8.44%). Mining and Quarrying (0.07%), Electricity and Gas (0.07%), and Public Administration (0.35%) have the lowest female representation.

The top industries are Construction (15.13%), Wholesale and Retail Trade (14.28%), and Professional, Scientific, and Technical Activities (13.11%). Information and Communication (9.80%), Real Estate (9.19%), and Administrative and Support Services (8.46%) also feature prominently. The least represented sectors are Mining and Quarrying (0.17%), Activities of Extraterritorial Organizations (0.01%), and Public Administration (0.00%).

* The Percentages & Counts may not add up due to a company being able to trade under multiple SIC Codes.

		Female-Owned Businesses		Male-Owned Businesses
SIC Code	SIC Industry	Count	Percentage	Count	Percentage
A	Agriculture Forestry And Fishing	5,013	0.65%	18,462	0.87%
B	Mining And Quarrying	543	0.07%	3,554	0.17%
C	Manufacturing	25,008	3.25%	100,717	4.73%
D	Electricity Gas Steam And Air Conditioning Supply	536	0.07%	5,165	0.24%
E	Water Supply, Sewerage Waste Management And Remediation Activities	1,200	0.16%	8,291	0.39%
F	Construction	28,398	3.69%	322,279	15.13%
G	Wholesale And Retail Trade; Repair Of Motor Vehicles And Motorcycles	115,137	14.97%	304,123	14.28%
H	Transportation And Storage	15,085	1.96%	85,388	4.01%
I	Accommodation And Food Service Activities	47,777	6.21%	103,658	4.87%
J	Information And Communication	47,004	6.11%	208,691	9.80%
K	Financial And Insurance Activities	15,717	2.04%	76,399	3.59%
L	Real Estate Activities	69,232	9.00%	195,765	9.19%
M	Professional Scientific And Technical Activities	120,373	15.65%	279,258	13.11%
N	Administrative And Support Service Activities	79,269	10.31%	180,169	8.46%
O	Public Administration And Defence; Compulsory Social Security	2,690	0.35%	3,576	0.00%
P	Education	24,912	3.24%	26,722	1.25%
Q	Human Health And Social Work Activities	71,514	9.30%	53,766	2.52%
R	Arts Entertainment And Recreation	23,898	3.11%	50,361	2.36%
S	Other Service Activities	64,898	8.44%	86,351	4.05%
T	Activities Of Households As Employers; Undifferentiated Goods- And Services-producing Activities Of Households For Own Use	9,755	1.27%	17,157	0.81%
U	Activities Of Extraterritorial Organisations And Bodies	73	0.01%	244	0.01%

London leads with 219,690 businesses (28.56%), followed by the South East (13.43%) and North West (9.68%). The East of England (9.25%), West Midlands (8.40%), and South West (6.22%) also show notable figures. Northern Ireland (1.47%), Wales (2.01%), and the North East (2.08%) have the lowest female-owned business representation.

London dominates with 540,811 businesses (25.39%), followed by the South East (13.42%) and North West (10.30%). The East of England (9.72%), West Midlands (8.07%), and South West (6.59%) also contribute significantly. Northern Ireland (1.71%), Wales (2.32%), and the North East (2.42%) account for the smallest shares.

Region	Female-Owned Businesses		Male-Owned Businesses
Region	Count	Percentage	Count	Percentage
London	219,690	28.56%	540,811	25.39%
North West	74,457	9.68%	219,428	10.30%
South East	103,304	13.43%	285,841	13.42%
West Midlands	64,591	8.40%	171,931	8.07%
East of England	71,182	9.25%	207,072	9.72%
Yorkshire and The Humber	43,802	5.69%	135,324	6.35%
East Midlands	42,430	5.52%	121,210	5.69%
Scotland	35,692	4.64%	107,100	5.03%
South West	47,864	6.22%	140,382	6.59%
North East	15,966	2.08%	51,626	2.42%
Wales	15,444	2.01%	49,394	2.32%
Northern Ireland	11,322	1.47%	36,341	1.71%

The majority of female-owned businesses fall under the Moderate Risk category (32.85%), followed by Very Low Risk (24.88%) and Low Risk (21.66%). A notable portion (19.52%) is classified as Very High Risk, while only 1.02% fall into the High Risk category.

Male-owned businesses have the highest proportion in the Low Risk category (26.84%), followed by Moderate Risk (24.28%) and Very High Risk (24.00%). Very Low Risk businesses make up 23.29%, while High Risk businesses account for just 1.58%.

Risk Band	Female-Owned Businesses		Male-Owned Businesses
Risk Band	Count	Percentage	Count	Percentage
Very Low Risk	191,383	24.88%	496,103	23.29%
Low Risk	166,593	21.66%	571,886	26.84%
Moderate Risk	252,679	32.85%	517,225	24.28%
High Risk	7,872	1.02%	33,674	1.58%
Very High Risk	150,163	19.52%	511,301	24.00%

Most female-owned businesses (83.30%) have a turnover between 1 to 500K, with 7.80% generating 500K to 1M, and 7.60% falling in the 1M to 5M range. Higher turnover businesses are significantly fewer, with 0.79% earning 5M to 10M, 0.57% in the 10M to 100M range, and only 0.02% reaching 100M to 500M. Just 4 female-owned companies exceed 1 billion in turnover.

A majority (76.60%) of male-owned businesses fall within the 1 to 500K turnover range. 9.70% have a turnover between 500K to 1M, while 6.04% generate between 1M to 5M. Businesses with 5M to 10M in turnover make up 0.75%, and those earning 10M to 100M account for 0.66%. Larger businesses are rare, with 0.03% reaching 100M to 500M, and just 23 companies surpassing 1 billion in turnover.

Turnover Range	Female-Owned Businesses		Male-Owned Businesses
Turnover Range	Number of Companies	Percentage	Number of Companies	Percentage
1 to 500K	299,120	83.30%	898,110	76.60%
500K to 1M	28,071	7.80%	113,100	9.70%
1M to 5M	27,240	7.60%	128,780	6.04%
5M to 10M	2,860	0.79%	15,990	0.75%
10M to 100M	2,030	0.57%	14,060	0.66%
100M to 500M	61	0.02%	6	0.03%
Greater Than 1B	4	0.00%	23	0.00%