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UK Business Succession Index
How many UK trading companies have a director of retirement age, by sector and region. Across the UK, 30.5% of trading companies have a director aged 60 or over.
3,125,618trading companies measured
30.5%have a director aged 60 or over
10.7%have a director aged 70 or over
57.4%are owner-run (one person or family holds 50%+)
59.5%have a single director
By sector
| Sector | Companies | Director 60+ | Director 70+ | Owner-run | Single director | Median age (yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional services | 440,255 | 32.2% | 9.3% | 65.6% | 65.4% | 8 |
| Property | 401,508 | 34.0% | 14.2% | 45.1% | 48.7% | 7 |
| Construction | 354,811 | 27.1% | 7.9% | 61.1% | 63.8% | 8 |
| Software and IT | 201,969 | 21.9% | 5.6% | 64.8% | 66.3% | 8 |
| Wholesale | 157,781 | 30.6% | 10.7% | 62.4% | 63.1% | 8 |
| Health and care | 150,529 | 24.9% | 7.1% | 59.7% | 60.5% | 7 |
| Retail | 146,629 | 25.4% | 8.3% | 63.5% | 65.5% | 7 |
| Hotels and food service | 141,960 | 25.7% | 8.6% | 58.4% | 63.2% | 6 |
| Financial services | 115,864 | 36.5% | 11.8% | 49.1% | 47.8% | 7 |
| Transport and storage | 80,206 | 23.0% | 7.2% | 72.1% | 74.8% | 7 |
| Other manufacturing | 73,974 | 39.5% | 14.2% | 53.2% | 53.8% | 11 |
| Online retail | 56,084 | 10.3% | 2.6% | 76.3% | 78.4% | 5 |
| Engineering | 48,314 | 41.8% | 14.6% | 54.2% | 53.9% | 12 |
| Farming | 31,594 | 51.4% | 24.9% | 48.9% | 40.9% | 12 |
| Food and drink | 16,314 | 31.2% | 10.9% | 51.3% | 51.3% | 7 |
By region
| Region | Companies | Director 60+ | Director 70+ | Owner-run | Single director | Median age (yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 130,878 | 30.2% | 9.7% | 57.0% | 57.5% | 8 |
| East of England | 229,026 | 31.4% | 10.6% | 59.2% | 59.3% | 8 |
| London | 665,387 | 23.9% | 7.9% | 63.9% | 68.2% | 7 |
| North East | 60,178 | 30.1% | 9.9% | 57.4% | 58.1% | 7 |
| North West | 254,417 | 28.5% | 9.0% | 58.4% | 60.3% | 7 |
| Northern Ireland | 42,310 | 33.6% | 12.3% | 51.6% | 51.9% | 9 |
| Scotland | 125,245 | 32.7% | 10.8% | 57.3% | 57.0% | 8 |
| South East | 299,786 | 34.0% | 11.4% | 57.7% | 57.8% | 8 |
| South West | 181,774 | 36.4% | 12.8% | 53.9% | 52.4% | 9 |
| Wales | 65,883 | 33.6% | 11.8% | 54.6% | 55.5% | 8 |
| West Midlands | 195,991 | 29.8% | 9.9% | 58.5% | 60.3% | 8 |
| Yorkshire | 166,916 | 30.0% | 9.6% | 56.7% | 57.5% | 8 |
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