The Business Confidence Index (BCI) of the United Kingdom was 100.7 in October 2025, a significant increase from the previous month. During this time period, business confidence was highest in late 2021 and was at its lowest point in May 2020. 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.

Business Confidence in the United Kingdom decreased to -31 points in the fourth quarter of 2025 from -27 points in the third quarter of 2025. This dataset provides - United Kingdom Business Confidence - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Confidence intervals for weighted estimates from the voluntary fortnightly Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) about financial performance, workforce, prices, trade, and business resilience. These are official statistics in development.

Graph and download economic data for Business Tendency Surveys: Composite Business Confidence: Economic Activity: Services for United Kingdom (BVCICP02GBM460S) from Jan 1997 to Mar 2021 about business sentiment, composite, United Kingdom, business, and services.

Small Business Sentiment in the United Kingdom increased to -1 points in the first quarter of 2024 from -13 points in the fourth quarter of 2023. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom Small Business Sentiment - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for Composite Leading Indicators: Composite Business Confidence Amplitude Adjusted for United Kingdom (BSCICP03GBM665S) from Mar 1977 to Jan 2024 about business sentiment, composite, United Kingdom, business, and manufacturing.

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).

Key information about UK Business Confidence Growth

• United Kingdom Business Confidence grew 8.4 % in Dec 2020, compared with a decrease of 6.7 % YoY in the previous month.
• UK Business Confidence: YoY Change is updated monthly, available from Jan 1986 to Dec 2020, with an averaged rate of -13.6 %.
• The data reached an all-high of 38.9 % in Mar 2010 and a record low of -49.8 % in Mar 2009.

CEIC calculates monthly Business Confidence Change from monthly Industrial Confidence Indicator. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs used to provide Industrial Confidence Indicator with range from -100 to 100 with neutral point 0. Business Confidence covers Manufacturing sector only.

This statistic shows the business confidence index for the service sector in the United Kingdom from 2008 to 2017, with projections up until 2022. In 2017, the confidence index for the British service industry ranged at approximately **** index points, indicating a slight increase in business confidence.

Graph and download economic data for Business Tendency Surveys (Manufacturing): Confidence Indicators: Composite Indicators: National Indicator for United Kingdom (BSCICP02GBM460S) from Mar 1977 to Oct 2025 about business sentiment, composite, United Kingdom, Europe, business, and manufacturing.

Quarterly dataset of the United Kingdom Business Confidence, including historical data, latest releases, and long-term trends from 2015-12-31 to 2025-12-31. Available for free download in CSV format.

This statistic shows the business confidence index for the industrial sector in the United Kingdom from 2008 to 2017, with projections up until 2022. In 2017, the confidence index for the British industry ranged at approximately ***** index points, indicating an increase in business confidence.

Key information about EU Business Confidence Growth

• European Union Business Confidence dropped by 0.9 % in Feb 2025, compared with a decrease of 2.7 % YoY in the previous month.
• EU Business Confidence: YoY Change is updated monthly, available from Jan 1986 to Feb 2025, with an averaged rate of -0.1 %.
• The data reached an all-high of 42.4 % in Apr 2021 and a record low of -36.1 % in Mar 2009.

CEIC calculates monthly Business Confidence Change from monthly Industrial Confidence Indicator. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs provides Industrial Confidence Indicator with range from -100 to 100 with neutral point 0. Contribution of member-states data to EU-wide aggregate is weighted according to the country's gross value added at constant prices by the Industry sector excluding Construction. Business Confidence covers Manufacturing sector only. European Union stands for EU27 excluding UK.

This statistic presents the results of UKinbound's business barometer survey, showing how confident tourism businesses in the United Kingdom feel about bookings and visitor revenues in regards to the next 12 months (as of November 2016). Overall, the majority of respondents (** percent) felt confident, particularly tour operators with a ** percent confidence rate.

Consumer Confidence in the United Kingdom decreased to -19 points in November from -17 points in October of 2025. This dataset provides the latest reported value for - United Kingdom Consumer Confidence - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news.

Graph and download economic data for Business Tendency Surveys: Composite Business Confidence: Economic Activity: Retail Trade, Except of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles for United Kingdom (GBRBRCICP02STSAM) from Jan 1985 to Mar 2021 about composite, United Kingdom, retail trade, business, sales, and retail.

Graph and download economic data for Business Tendency Surveys: Composite Business Confidence: Economic Activity: Construction for United Kingdom (BCCICP02GBM460S) from Jan 1985 to Oct 2019 about business sentiment, composite, United Kingdom, construction, and business.

This report analyses consumer confidence in the United Kingdom. The data, which is adjusted for seasonality, is sourced from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and is modified by IBISWorld to produce a consumer confidence index (CCI), whereby values in excess of the 100-point critical mark represent net optimism, while figures less than the 100-point critical represent net pessimism. The OECD's consumer opinion survey tracks confidence indicators at the national level and the survey questions asked to respondents, in order to determine the overall confidence figure, cover expectations of personal finances, economic conditions, unemployment and savings over the subsequent 12-month period. Figures represent the average level of consumer confidence over the financial year (i.e., April through March).

Graph and download economic data for Business Tendency Surveys for Services: Business Situation Activity: Present: European Commission Indicator for the United Kingdom (DISCONTINUED) (BVBUCT02GBM460S) from Jan 1997 to Dec 2013 about business sentiment, United Kingdom, business, and services.