The number of new businesses in Newcastle upon Tyne fell by 3.8% in the first half of 2026, slightly more than the fall across the UK, according to Office for National Statistics figures.
The ONS recorded 635 business births in Newcastle between January and June 2026, against 660 in the same six months of 2025. Across the UK, business births fell by 3.1%, from 163,075 to 157,980. In the North East they fell by 4.3%, from 4,885 to 4,675.
Business deaths in Newcastle rose to 615 in the first half of 2026, from 595 a year earlier, so births still outnumbered closures by 20.
Quarter by quarter, Newcastle had 320 business births in January to March 2026 and 315 in April to June, against 360 and 300 in the same quarters of 2025.
The national ranking
The national fall was highlighted by the online accountancy firm eAccounts in research published on 15 October 2026, which ranked UK council areas by growth in new businesses using the same ONS figures. Harlow came first with a rise of 25.0%, from 260 to 325, followed by Southampton (20.7%) and Mid Ulster (19.2%). Only areas with at least 250 business births in the first half of 2025 were ranked.
Kris Corbisiero, founder of eAccounts, said: “The national figure suggests business creation is slowing, but that masks some striking local success stories in places like Harlow and Southampton.”
How the figures work
The figures come from the ONS quarterly business demography statistics, which the ONS publishes as experimental statistics. The latest edition, covering April to June 2026, was released on 30 July 2026. A business birth or death is an enterprise joining or leaving the Inter-Departmental Business Register, mainly through VAT and PAYE registrations. The ONS rounds the counts to multiples of five and they may be revised. More is in our companies section.