FOI reference: FOI-2026-3670
You asked
I would be grateful to receive the following, drawn from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) or the Annual Business Survey, whichever is the more appropriate source:
The number of UK enterprises with annual turnover of £1 billion or more, broken down by SIC 2007 section (A to U).
The aggregate turnover of those enterprises, on the same sectoral breakdown.
Where possible, the same two figures split across the turnover bands £1 billion to £2 billion, £2 billion to £5 billion, and £5 billion or more.
The equivalent figures for the five most recent reference years available, so that a trend can be observed.
Please provide the data for the most recent reference year available, and indicate clearly which reference period each figure relates to.
I am seeking aggregate statistics only. I am not requesting information relating to any identifiable individual enterprise, and I appreciate that enterprise-level data is protected under section 39 of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. Where a cell would be disclosive, I am content to receive figures that have been suppressed, rounded or aggregated to a higher level of the SIC hierarchy, together with a note of where this has been applied.
We said
Thank you for your request.
The Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) contains all businesses registered for Value-Added Tax (VAT) and/or Pay As You Earn (PAYE).
Please see the associated download spreadsheet that shows the number of UK enterprises, broken down by sector, and specific turnover size bands from the IDBR. The data has been produced back to 2021, covering five years for a comparable basis. Please note the IDBR turnover values provided should be treated with caution as they arise from sources that we are unable to verify.
In case it is of interest, we also have our UK business; activity, size and location Statistical bulletin that provides an annual snapshot of the IDBR taken in March. The latest data available are for 2025. In the publication, we break down the number of UK businesses by geography, employment size-band, industry and legal status.
If you require any further assistance regarding your data request, please contact the data analysis service on idbrdas@ons.gov.uk.