Business demography

Key points
Number of enterprises and yearly change

In 2025 there were 45,110 active enterprises in the Lancashire-12 area and in the Lancashire-14 area there were 54,315.
In the Lancashire-12 area there were -45 (-0.1%) fewer enterprises in 2025 than in 2024.
This includes -190 (-4.1%) fewer in West Lancashire, -75 (-1.6%) fewer in Lancaster and -25 (-0.7%) fewer in Ribble Valley.
The number of enterprises rose by +145 in Preston (+2.6%), by +60 in South Ribble and by +50 in Fylde (both +1.5%).
In the Lancashire-14 area there were -195 (-0.4%) fewer enterprises in 2025 than in 2024.

Births, deaths and survival rates of enterprises

In the Lancashire-12 area in 2024 5,005 new enterprises were started (births) while 4,620 ceased trading (deaths) giving a net addition of +385.
In 2024 there were +205 more enterprises births than deaths in Preston, but there were more business deaths than births in West Lancashire (-130).
As many as 95.7% of new enterprises founded in 2023 in Chorley survived to 2024, but in Hyndburn the rate was only 92.1%.
The one-year business survival rate for Lancashire-12, the North West, England, GB and UK were in the range 93.0-93.7% in 2024.
The three-year business survival rates for Lancashire-12, the North West and England from 2021 (50-54%) were lower than those from 2013 to 2016 (60-63%).
The three-year business survival rates for Lancashire-12 from 2021 to 2024 was only about 50%, lower than England (54%).
The five-year business survival rate for Lancashire-12 from 2019 was 41%, higher than England (38%) and the North West (37%) but was lower than the survival rate from 2013-2018 (44%).

Geographies used in Lancashire Insight