Companies in Aberdeen
Aberdeen is the 50th biggest place on the UK company register, with 14,524 live companies, or 0.3% of the UK total. 1,739 of those were formed in 2025. 1,053 (7.3%) have a proposal to strike off on file, close to the UK figure of 7.3%. Compared with the UK as a whole, Aberdeen stands out for support activities for petroleum and natural gas extraction: 372 companies, 44.7 times the national share.
What Aberdeen has more of than the rest of the UK
Each trade's share of Aberdeen companies, compared with its share across the UK.
Biggest trades in Aberdeen
Live Aberdeen companies, by year formed
Only companies still live are counted, so older years look smaller. 2026 stops on 1 November 2026.
See every year as a table
| Year | Live companies |
|---|---|
| 2012 | 368 |
| 2013 | 454 |
| 2014 | 466 |
| 2015 | 422 |
| 2016 | 472 |
| 2017 | 546 |
| 2018 | 637 |
| 2019 | 684 |
| 2020 | 549 |
| 2021 | 653 |
| 2022 | 751 |
| 2023 | 926 |
| 2024 | 1,099 |
| 2025 | 1,739 |
| 2026 | 1,520 |
Oldest active companies in Aberdeen
- Bp Exploration CompanyFormed 1877
- Alex Pirie & SonsFormed 1898
- Wood & DavidsonFormed 1899
- The Kittybrewster and Woodside Bowling GreenFormed 1900
- J.w. Ship Stores (aberdeen)Formed 1900
Nearest in size
Town means the post town of the registered address, which isn't always where a company trades. Many companies use an accountant's or formation agent's address. Figures come from Companies House on 1 November 2026.