In 2024, there were 45,000 pubs operating in the United Kingdom. This denoted a slight decrease from the previous year, and continued the downward trend that had been in place since at least 2000. What is the largest pub chain in the UK? In the 2023 financial year, Stonegate ranked as the selected leading pub chain in the UK in terms of units, with over 4,000 properties under its management. Meanwhile, the popular chain JD Wetherspoon had 800 properties. Why are pubs in decline in the UK? Public houses, once considered an important pillar of British communities, have faced several challenges related to changing consumer behavior. The 2007 indoor smoking ban and rising alcohol prices deterred people from drinking in pubs, sparking a trend in ‘pre-loading’ on cheap supermarket-bought alcohol before going out. More recently, the cost of living crisis in the UK has put extra pressure onto consumers' wallets and purses, making eating and drinking out too expensive for many.

The number of employees in the pubs & bars industry in the United Kingdom stood at nearly ************** as of April 2025. Meanwhile, business numbers in the industry totaled around ******.

Counts of pubs across in England and Wales. Geographies include local authority districts (LADs), built up areas (BUAs) and combined authorities.

J D Wetherspoon operated *** pubs in the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2024. Since 2015, the number of Wetherspoon pubs in the two countries declined steadily, having peaked at ***.

Over the five years through 2025-26, revenue is expected to rise at a compound annual rate of 6% to £19.5 billion. The UK’s pub and bar sector faces a turbulent 2025-26, marked by slumping alcohol consumption, steep operating costs, and labour shortages. Alcohol-free and low-ABV drinks are reshaping consumer habits, as moderation replaces heavy drinking. One in five 18- to 24-year-olds now abstains entirely, while one in four UK adults consumes low- or no-alcohol products more often than a year ago, according to The Portman Group and YouGov. To adapt, venues are expanding their mocktail menus, hosting food-led events and offering social, experience-based formats such as brunches, bingo and interactive games to draw customers in throughout the day. However, rising labour costs and chronic staff shortages – with 78,000 vacancies remaining unfilled according to the ONS – are pushing businesses to their breaking point. Wage hikes, higher insurance rates and mounting stress are fuelling burnout and closures. Higher alcohol duties, energy costs and reduced business rates relief further squeeze margins. Pubs now pay 40% rates instead of 75% relief, triggering widespread closures – over 400 in 2024 alone. Gastropubs, hit by food inflation, face the greatest strain, while bars focusing on cocktails and social experiences continue to grow modestly. Survival depends on innovation, diversification and reform. Pubs and bars investing in digital tools, sustainability and flexible formats will be best placed to weather 2025’s challenging trading climate. In 2025-26, revenue is anticipated to increase by 0.6% and the average profit margin is expected to reach 9.6%. Over the five years through 2030-31, revenue is expected to increase at a compound annual rate of 5.1% to £25 billion, where profit is expected to absorb 9.7% of revenue. The UK hospitality sector is bracing for major change as a business rates overhaul takes effect in April 2026. Under the new regime, smaller pubs, bars and restaurants with a rateable value of under £500,000 will benefit from permanently lower rates, while larger or city-centre venues will face higher tax burdens. The reform, replacing temporary relief schemes, aims to create stability but risks penalising high-value sites and deterring investment. Industry leaders broadly welcome the move but warn that sharp cliff edges could hit mid-sized operators hardest. At the same time, cultural shifts are reshaping demand. Low- and no-alcohol consumption continues to rise, especially among younger generations. Venues that integrate premium alcohol-free options, mocktail menus and inclusive experiences stand to capture significant new revenue. Premiumisation could also be a key growth strategy. Consumers are drinking less but better – seeking craftsmanship, story and atmosphere.

Market Size statistics on the Pubs & Bars industry in the UK

Data on pubs and bars, employment therein, and median pub or bar, by region and nation of the UK, 2001 to 2019.

As part of the Cultural Infrastructure Plan, an annual audit of pubs using the Inter-Departmental Business Register data is produced.

The overall number of pubs in London has remained largely unchanged since 2018.

• There were 3,535 pubs in London in 2023.
• Overall employee numbers increased in 2023 for the first time since the pandemic in 2020. In 2023, there were 49,000 jobs in London pubs, above the previous peak in 2020 at 48,000 jobs.
• The share of jobs in large pubs (with more than 10 employees) reached 85% in 2023, while the share of jobs in smaller pubs dropped to 14%, its lowest value in the data going back to 2001.
• Among local authorities, 13 recorded a decrease in pub numbers in 2023 compared to 2022, 13 recorded an increase and the rest saw no significant change.

The long-term trends remain the same as reported in the previous iteration of this analysis:

• Overall, pub numbers have declined over the past 21 years in most London boroughs and in the capital overall but employment has increased as the average pub has become larger.
• While the decline in pub numbers reflects an overall UK trend, the number of employees increased by more in London (17%) than the UK average (6%) since 2001.

Number of public houses and bars, employment in them and median employment per workplace, broken down by employee size. For 2001 to 2018, and for local authorities.

This dataset illustrates the distribution of pub and bar occasions in the UK by age group in 2025. It highlights how different age cohorts engage with pubs and bars, providing insights into generational behaviours and visitation patterns within the eating and drinking out market.

This dataset shows the market value share of the UK pub and bar sector by segment, providing a breakdown of value contribution across key formats to illustrate the competitive landscape.

The number of workplaces and employment in London for the Industrial Sectors: Public Houses and Bars Licensed restaurants Unlicensed restaurants and cafes Take away food shops and mobile food stands Licensed clubs For Public Houses and Bars an analysis is also presented by workplace size, and by workplace MSOA.

Employment statistics on the Pubs & Bars industry in the UK

Sports and social clubs accounted for the highest number of licensed food and drink premises in Great Britain as of September 2024. In total, there were ****** sports and social clubs in Britain. Community pubs had the second-highest number of premises, with nearly ******.

This statistic presents the percentage change in the number of public houses/bars in London between 2001 and 2016, by borough. Pubs in the London borough of Camden dropped by ** percent over this period, with the number of pubs at *** as of 2016.

Number of Businesses statistics on the Full-Service Restaurants industry in the UK

Comprehensive dataset containing 38,643 verified Pub businesses in United Kingdom with complete contact information, ratings, reviews, and location data.

A dataset showing UK pub name, address, easting, northing, lat, lon, and local authority. Also included is a link to a mashup of data between pubs and bus stops. Please note The dataset is derived from the FSA Food Hygiene Ratings, from which the pubs/bars/nightclubs are extracted, cleaned up and then combined with the ONS Postcode Directory in order to map pubs to local authority. This is a processed dataset derived from official published sources. It may contain alterations, aggregations or cleaned-up versions of data published elsewhere. Please note, this dataset may be a one-off publication and may not be updated.

In Great Britain, the number of pubs and bars declined by *** percent in December 2019 compared to December 2018. The decrease was even higher for drink-led pubs (i.e. those that primarily serve beverages over food), whereas food pubs experienced only a *** percent decline.

Number of public houses and bars, employment in them and median employment per workplace, broken down by employee size. For 2001 to 2018, and nations and regions of the UK.