Llandudno is the start-up capital of the UK according to research using Companies House data.
The report by Yell Business revealed that more businesses formed in the North Wales coastal town per capita than anywhere else during 2021.
The study also found that despite the challenges of 2021, more start-ups were founded in the UK than during pre-pandemic 2019 (718,441 businesses vs. 691,127).
With an average of 13% more new businesses founded each month in 2021 vs. 2019, the analysis pinpointed which areas of the UK were the most entrepreneurial, by calculating the number of new businesses formed in each location while factoring in population size.
The 20 Areas That Saw the Most New Businesses Founded in 2021
Rank |
Location |
Businesses Founded (Per 100 People) |
1. |
Llandudno, North Wales |
16.2 |
2. |
Redhill, Surrey |
11.6 |
3. |
Tunbridge Wells, Kent |
10.8 |
4. |
Truro, Cornwall |
7.8 |
5. |
Motherwell, North Lanarkshire |
7.0 |
6. |
Guildford, Surrey |
6.4 |
7. |
Walsall, West Midlands |
6.1 |
8. |
Chester, Cheshire |
5.9 |
9. |
Canterbury, Kent |
5.8 |
10. |
Chelmsford, Essex |
5.8 |
11. |
Dudley, West Midlands |
5.6 |
12. |
Dorchester, Dorset |
5.2 |
13. |
Stockport, Cheshire |
5.1 |
14. |
Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire |
4.7 |
15. |
Doncaster, South Yorkshire |
4.6 |
16. |
Hereford, Herefordshire |
4.0 |
17. |
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire |
3.8 |
18. |
Stevenage, Hertfordshire |
3.7 |
19. |
Falkirk, Scottish Central Lowlands |
3.6 |
Claire Miles, Chief Executive Officer of Yell, said: “With the challenges of the last two years, we might expect to find that fewer people were deciding to take the leap into the world of starting their own business.
"However, the data clearly shows that it has potentially inspired more people to take ownership of what they do for a living and finally make the dream of running their own business come true.
"With the background of the pandemic and numerous economic and supply chain challenges, it’s really encouraging to see that the entrepreneurial spirit of the UK is continuing to grow year on year.
"We look forward to working with some of these new business owners in 2022, to help make their venture a success."
Of the impressive 718,441 UK businesses that were founded up to and including November 2021, Retail was the industry that saw the biggest boom, with 119,948 start-ups registered within the sector, accounting for 16% of all new business ventures. This was closely followed by businesses offering Professional Services and Real Estate companies.
The 10 Fastest Growing Sectors in 2021
Rank |
Sector |
Businesses Founded in 2021 |
1. |
Retail |
119,948 |
2. |
Professional Services |
116,669 |
3. |
Real Estate |
109,570 |
4. |
Commercial Services |
67,858 |
5. |
Hospitality |
64,404 |
6. |
Construction |
61,035 |
7. |
Wholesale |
45,578 |
8. |
Information and Communication |
37,175 |
9. |
Manufacturing |
36,538 |
10. |
Health and Social Work |
36,753 |
