UK’s most entrepreneurial locations revealed, is yours on the list?
UK’s Hustle Capitals revealed in new research by Informi, and WALES comes out top.
Recent research by Informi, can also reveal the most entrepreneurial regions across the UK, with an 18.8% increase in self employed people in the South West.
The small business advice service looked at a number of factors around business growth and self employment with data from ONS, to reveal the hustling capitals of the UK. The full research can be found here: https://informi.co.uk/blog/hustle-capitals-of-the-uk
Top 10 Hustle Capitals of UK
| Rank | Region | Self Employment Rates | Private Sector Businesses Started | Business Growth Rate |
| 1 | Wales | 15.9% | 5.2% | 0.9% |
| 2 | Northern Ireland | 13.3% | 3.5% | 1.6% |
| 3 | South West | 18.8% | 2.3% | 0.7% |
| 4 | London | 18.9% | -0.5% | 0.3% |
| 5 | North East | 11.2% | 0.5% | 1% |
| 6 | West Midlands | 12.6% | -1.9% | 1% |
| 7 | East Midlands | 13.3% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| 8 | Yorkshire and The Humber | 13.4% | -7.2% | 0.9% |
| 9 | East of England | 15.2% | -4.6% | 0.5% |
| 10 | South East | 16.5% | -3.7% | -1.8% |
Wales takes first place in hustle capitals of the UK, displaying an increase of 5.2% in the number of private sector businesses starting between 2021 to 2022. Alongside self employment rates at 15.9% of the working population, Wales also showed a business growth rate of 0.9%.
In second place for the biggest hustlers, Northern Ireland had a 3.5% increase in new businesses, and 13.3% of the working population being registered as self-employed.
The South West comes out top for English regions, and third place overall for Hustle Capitals, with the most impressive statistic being nearly 20% of the working population in self-employment in early 2022.
On reflection of the findings, Huw Moxon, marketing manager at Informi, comments: “While the country as a whole has experienced challenges in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, certain regions have shown resilience and demonstrated themselves as vibrant hubs for entrepreneurship and growth. This data emphasises the importance of region-specific support systems and initiatives that enable entrepreneurship and business growth.
As the UK continues to recover from the pandemic, while facing fresh economic challenges, these findings hopefully serve as inspiration and guidance for entrepreneurs seeking to establish and develop their businesses.”
Further findings
- South West showed nearly 20% increase in entrepreneurs
- Scotland ranked lowest region for hustling
- Wales & Northern Ireland claimed top spots for most private sector start ups
