The Business Confidence Index (BCI) of the United Kingdom was 98.7 in May 2025, compared with 99 in the previous month, an indication that business confidence is falling in the UK. During this time period, business confidence was highest in late 2021, and was at its lowest point in March 2009. Taxation overtakes inflation as main business concern In the third quarter of 2023, inflation was seen by 65 percent of UK firms as a major external concern facing their business. At that time, the UK's inflation rate was still at the relatively high figure of 6.7 percent, although this was down from a peak of 11.1 percent in October 2022. As the rate of inflation continued to fall in 2024, the issue became slightly less pressing for UK businesses, with 49 percent seeing it as a main concern in the second quarter of 2024, although it was still ahead of other issues. In the second half of 2024, however, taxation has emerged as the main worry for UK firms, with 63 percent of businesses citing it as an external concern in the fourth quarter of 2024. This is likely related to the rise in National Insurance businesses will have to pay from April 2025 onwards, one of the main measures announced in the Autumn Budget in October 2024. UK business demographics In 2024, there were approximately 5.5 million private business enterprises in the UK, which was down from a peak of 5.98 million in 2020. As of this year, the UK's private sector workforce was around 27.6 million, compared with 6.1 million who worked in the public sector. While most businesses in the UK are small enterprises that employ fewer than ten people, the UK's large businesses are responsible for employing a large share of the workforce, with around 8.2 million people working for large businesses in 2024. The biggest UK-based company, in terms of global employees in 2024 was the Compass Group, with a global workforce of around half a million, followed by Tesco at 345,000 employees.

In December 2024, the Business Confidence Index (BCI) of the United States stood at *****. This is a slight decrease from the previous month, confirming a general downward trend that began at the end of 2021. The BCI is an indicator for the confidence of businesses regarding production developments, and the movement of finished goods. A BCI value above *** indicates an increase in business confidence and potential growth in economic activity. A value below *** indicates potential decreases in business performance in the future.

Graph and download economic data for Business Tendency Surveys (Manufacturing): Confidence Indicators: Composite Indicators: National Indicator for United States (BSCICP02USM460S) from Jan 1950 to Jun 2025 about business sentiment, composite, business, manufacturing, and USA.

Baseline: 2017 Q2

Graph and download economic data for Composite Leading Indicators: Composite Business Confidence Amplitude Adjusted for United States (BSCICP03USM665S) from Jan 1950 to Jan 2024 about business sentiment, composite, business, manufacturing, and USA.

Business Confidence in Japan increased to 13 points in the second quarter of 2025 from 12 points in the first quarter of 2025. This dataset provides - Japan Business Confidence - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

This dataset provides values for BUSINESS CONFIDENCE reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

The business environments of the world's seven largest economies were all impacted by the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19). During the first half of 2020, ***** measured the lowest business confidence index (BCI) at **, but it wasn't higher than **** in January 2020. However, the BCI of the country quickly recovered. Since **********, ***** has had the lowest CBI of the world's seven largest economies, with a few exceptions.

The business confidence index (BCI) measures the expectations of businesses and is based on UK enterprises' assessment of production, orders and stocks, in addition to its current operating position and presumptions for the immediate future. Respondents are grouped into three categories - optimistic, pessimistic and neutral - based on their respective attitudes with regards to their operating potential. The number of pessimistic organisations is subtracted from the number of optimistic entities to give an overall score which proxies the level of business confidence. The BCI is amplitude adjusted to a long-term average of 100 points, whereby a score above the 100-point critical mark indicates that more businesses are confident with regards to their respective operating potential than those which are not, and vice versa for scores below the 100-point critical mark. The data is sourced from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in addition to estimates by IBISWorld, and annual figures are reported in financial years (i.e., April through March).

The Business Confidence Index in Mexico reached ****** points in May 2024, which shows a decline of **** points in comparison to the previous month. On February 29, 2020, the first two cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) were reported in Mexico, leading authorities to take containment measures in the following weeks. These measures impacted the country's economy, and with it, business confidence, which did not recover until mid-2021.

Business confidence survey in Colombia, May, 2025 The most recent value is 6.1 points as of May 2025, an increase compared to the previous value of -0.3 points. Historically, the average for Colombia from January 1980 to May 2025 is 0.09 points. The minimum of -35.8 points was recorded in April 2020, while the maximum of 20.4 points was reached in September 2021. | TheGlobalEconomy.com

Business confidence survey in Hong Kong, September, 2025 The most recent value is -8 points as of Q3 2025, an increase compared to the previous value of -9 points. Historically, the average for Hong Kong from Q1 2022 to Q3 2025 is 0.67 points. The minimum of -10 points was recorded in Q1 2025, while the maximum of 15 points was reached in Q2 2023. | TheGlobalEconomy.com

Business confidence survey in Japan, March, 2025 The most recent value is 12.5 points as of Q1 2025, no change compared to the previous value of 12.5 points. Historically, the average for Japan from Q2 1974 to Q1 2025 is -6.94 points. The minimum of -49 points was recorded in Q1 2009, while the maximum of 36.5 points was reached in Q2 1989. | TheGlobalEconomy.com

Graph and download economic data for Composite Leading Indicators: Composite Business Confidence Amplitude Adjusted for China (BSCICP03CNM665S) from Feb 2000 to Jan 2024 about business sentiment, composite, China, business, and manufacturing.

Spain Business Survey: Other Services: Harmonised Confidence Index data was reported at 134.100 1Q2013=100 in Jan 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 133.500 1Q2013=100 for Oct 2024. Spain Business Survey: Other Services: Harmonised Confidence Index data is updated quarterly, averaging 126.900 1Q2013=100 from Jan 2013 (Median) to Jan 2025, with 49 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 134.500 1Q2013=100 in Jul 2024 and a record low of 92.400 1Q2013=100 in Jul 2020. Spain Business Survey: Other Services: Harmonised Confidence Index data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Statistics Institute. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Spain – Table ES.S005: Business Survey: Business Confidence Indicators.

Business confidence survey in India, June, 2025 The most recent value is 113.97 points as of Q2 2025, a decline compared to the previous value of 114.25 points. Historically, the average for India from Q3 2000 to Q2 2025 is 114.53 points. The minimum of 79.1 points was recorded in Q3 2020, while the maximum of 129.35 points was reached in Q4 2021. | TheGlobalEconomy.com

From 2019 to 2024, the highest value for the Business Confidence Index (BCI) in Brazil was reported in December 2020. In that month, the BCI reached *****. In October 2024, the value recorded was ******.

Graph and download economic data for Composite Leading Indicators: Composite Business Confidence Amplitude Adjusted for Germany (BSCICP03DEM665S) from Dec 1962 to Jan 2024 about business sentiment, composite, Germany, business, and manufacturing.

This report analyses trends in the business confidence index. The data for this report is sourced from ANZ's monthly Business Outlook Survey. Business confidence is calculated as the net balance of responses to a survey of about 1,500 businesses which asks respondents to rate the expected future state of their business and the overall economy. When the index is at 100, the number of optimistic and pessimistic responses are equal. The index is positive when more businesses are optimistic and negative when more are pessimistic. The report uses the average of monthly index values over each financial year and is measured in index points.

Business confidence is a sentiment indicator for the Dutch private sector, which indicates the direction in which the Dutch economy (gross domestic product, GDP) is expected to develop. When assessing the results, it can be assumed that the more optimistic or pessimistic the entrepreneurs are, the more the value of business confidence will deviate positively or negatively from the zero line and the greater the expectation is that the development of GDP will increase or decrease in the coming months. Business confidence in the total Dutch private sector is a weighted average of the confidence indicators of the underlying sectors/industries, which together form a representative reflection of the Dutch business community from a economic vieuwpoint. In addition to the quarterly series of business confidence, confidence indicators are also available on a monthly basis for the manufacturing industry and some underlying industries. These are published in a separate table under the name Producer confidence; sentiment indicator of manufacturing industry, branches. The results for the months of January, April, July and October correspond with the indicators manufacturing industry of Business confidence in quarters 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively.

Data available from: 4th quarter 2008 - 2nd quarter 2023.

Changes as of July 27, 2023: This table has been discontinued. The reason for this is the renewed method for calculating the business confidence.

When will new figures be published? Does not apply. This table is followed by Business confidence; to sector/branches (active on August 15, 2023). See paragraph 3.

Statistics Netherlands is currently working on adjustments to the definition of the Business Confidence indicator. The aim is to improve the comparability between industries and between regional and national figures. The adjustments will come into effect when the results for the third quarter of 2023 are published. More information will follow at www.cbs.nl.