WHITO GLOSSARY · MEASURED DEFINITIONS
The share of new businesses still trading after a set period. 38.4% of UK businesses started in 2019 survived five years, from 56.1% in health to 20.5% in transport and storage.
The number: UK Business Survival Rates by Industry.
What it means in practice
The five-year figure gets quoted as a horror story. Read it by industry instead: the gap between health at 56.1% and transport at 20.5% says the sector you pick matters more than the average.
Use the rate for your own industry when planning, pricing and borrowing. The national number is nobody’s number.
Whito stage: Context. Background numbers for judgement, not something you buy.
The numbers to hold onto
- Only 5.4% of new UK businesses close within the first year. UK Business Survival Rates by Industry.
- Six of 16 UK industries pass all four of Whito’s health tests on official data. Which UK Businesses Are Thriving.
- Mansfield had the highest business death rate in 2024, at 18.0%. Where UK Businesses Close Fastest.
Where to go next
- Survival rates by industry, the full table
- Which UK businesses are thriving
- Where businesses close fastest
Related: Business churn, Business confidence, Self-employment