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Companies in Derby

Derby is the 25th biggest place on the UK company register, with 22,891 live companies, or 0.4% of the UK total. 3,104 of those were formed in 2025. 1,755 (7.7%) have a proposal to strike off on file, close to the UK figure of 7.3%. Compared with the UK as a whole, Derby stands out for growing of other tree and bush fruits and nuts: 64 companies, 35.7 times the national share.

What Derby has more of than the rest of the UK

Each trade's share of Derby companies, compared with its share across the UK.

• Growing of other tree and bush fruits and nuts (64 companies)35.7×
• Manufacture of railway locomotives and rolling stock (35 companies)30.0×
• Silviculture and other forestry activities (83 companies)7.9×
• Pre-primary education (111 companies)3.1×
• Raising of poultry (16 companies)3.0×

Biggest trades in Derby

• Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate1,549
• Buying and selling of own real estate1,342
• Management consultancy activities other than financial management923
• Retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet551
• Information technology consultancy activities543
• Freight transport by road537
• Development of building projects530
• Take-away food shops and mobile food stands401

Live Derby 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	447
2013	494
2014	579
2015	611
2016	724
2017	890
2018	1,002
2019	1,123
2020	1,096
2021	1,143
2022	1,279
2023	1,690
2024	2,003
2025	3,104
2026	2,914

Oldest active companies in Derby

Nearest in size

• Belfast
• Bradford
• Newcastle upon Tyne
• Cambridge
• Preston
• Luton

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.

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