Inter Departmental Business Register
Details and background of the IDBR, which contains information on all businesses in the UK which are VAT registered and/or operating a PAYE scheme.
Key Results
- The number of Value Added Tax (VAT) and/or Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) registered businesses operating in Northern Ireland in 2026 has risen by 1,545 (1.9%) since March 2025 to 82,680. This marked the twelfth consecutive year of increase following a period of decline from 2008 to 2014.
- All four headline industries saw an increase in the number of businesses since 2025. The number of businesses in Construction increased by 2.7% (975) to 11,785, which is the highest since the series began in 2010.
- All 11 LGDs across Northern Ireland saw an increase in the total number of businesses in the year up to March 2026. The largest growth in percentage terms was seen in Ards & North Down (2.9% or 140 businesses). Derry City & Strabane saw both the smallest percentage and absolute growth of all LGDs, increasing by 0.3% or 15 business. This contrasts with 2025 when it had the largest percentage growth of all the LGDs. The largest absolute change was witnessed in Belfast (285 businesses or 2.4%).
- The number of registered businesses operating in Northern Ireland, owned by an enterprise registered outside of Northern Ireland, accounted for 2.9% of the business population and one-quarter (24.2%) of employees.
- The Business Demography Northern Ireland 2024 results estimate that that there were 6,240 business births in northern Ireland over the year to December 2024, which is a large increase of 16.2% on the previous year. This amounts to a business birth rate (proportion of active businesses) of 9.5%.
- There were 4,790 business deaths during the year to December 2024, which is a decrease of 3.6% on the previous year. This amounts to a death rate of 7.3%.
- The number of business births was greater than the number of business deaths for all 11 local government districts (LGDs).
- The business birth rate is highest for Business administration and support services with the business death rate being highest for the Transport and storage industry.
- Of the four UK regions, Northern Ireland saw the largest increase in its business birth rate (1.2 percentage points) since 2023, whilst the business death rates have decreased across the UK.
- Northern Ireland had the highest five-year survival rate of the four UK regions for registered businesses in 2019.
Current Publications and IDBR Tables
User Consultation
IDBR Background Information
