23,304 active companies are currently registered in Reading, a major UK business hub. Out of 28,019 companies ever registered here, 2,897 are no longer active — a 83% survival rate. The area has seen significant recent growth, with 51.4% of active businesses incorporated since 2020. Over half (63%) of active companies were formed since 2020, making this one of the UK's fastest-growing business locations. The most common industry sector is information technology consultancy activities, with 1,459 companies. The area hosts 614 large enterprises, 383 small firms. Reading is home to 464 FCA-regulated firms and 236 registered charities. Companies here hold 2,609 government contracts worth £14.1B in total. The average company age is 9.1 years. The earliest company registration in Reading dates back to 1865.
Source: Companies House register via UVAGATRON, October 2026
Reading is a growth hotspot — over half of its active companies were formed since 2020.
The average active company in Reading is 9.1 years old. There are 464 <Link href="/glossary/fca-financial-conduct-authority">FCA-regulated firms</Link> in the area. 236 registered charities operate locally.
Companies in Reading have been awarded 2,609 government contracts with a combined value of £14072.3M. See the Top Government Contractors report.
There are 23,304 active companies registered in Reading, out of 28,019 total. 2,897 (10%) are no longer active.
The top industries in Reading include Information technology consultancy activities (1,459 companies), Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate (1,317 companies), Buying and selling of own real estate (1,234 companies).
51.4% of currently active companies in Reading were incorporated since 2020, indicating strong recent growth.
Our database contains 219,038 data signals across 12 categories for active companies in Reading. The largest category is Governance with 98,135 signals from 6 sources.
The oldest company registration in Reading dates back to 1865, spanning over 161 years of business history.