UK Veteran-Owned Business Statistics
- Verified businesses
- 422
- UK regions covered
- 12
- Sectors
- 19
- Updated
- 20 October 2026
British Veteran Owned lists 422 verified veteran-owned businesses. The largest group is in South West England (16.6%), the most common named sector is Professional & Technical, and 69.4% of owners served in the British Army. The 2021 Census counted 1,853,112 veterans in England and Wales.
By Stephen James, Founder & Chairman, British Veteran Owned
Directory figures refresh hourly · Last updated 20 October 2026 · Download CSV
Where are veteran-owned businesses in the UK?
South West England has the most verified veteran-owned businesses in our directory, with 70 listings (16.6% of the total). Measured against its resident veteran population, London has the most listings per head: 4.67 per 10,000 veterans.
| Region | Listings | Share | Resident veterans | Listings per 10,000 veterans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West England | 70 | 16.6% | 264,750 (5.6%, 2021) | 2.64 |
| South East England | 69 | 16.4% | 317,082 (4.2%, 2021) | 2.18 |
| London | 47 | 11.1% | 100,717 (1.4%, 2021) | 4.67 |
| North West England | 36 | 8.5% | 228,739 (3.8%, 2021) | 1.57 |
| East Midlands | 34 | 8.1% | 170,529 (4.3%, 2021) | 1.99 |
| East of England | 31 | 7.3% | 193,882 (3.8%, 2021) | 1.6 |
| North East England | 25 | 5.9% | 109,361 (5%, 2021) | 2.29 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 24 | 5.7% | 185,125 (4.2%, 2021) | 1.3 |
| West Midlands | 21 | 5% | 167,599 (3.5%, 2021) | 1.25 |
| Wales | 17 | 4% | 115,331 (4.5%, 2021) | 1.47 |
| Scotland | 15 | 3.6% | 176,100 (3.9%, 2022) | 0.85 |
| Northern Ireland | 2 | 0.5% | Not published | – |
| Outside the UK | 11 | |||
What sectors do veteran-owned businesses work in?
Professional & Technical is the most common named sector in the directory, with 84 verified businesses (19.9%). Security, construction, professional services and trades all feature strongly, reflecting skills many people bring out of the Armed Forces.
| Category | Listings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Professional & Technical | 84 | 19.9% |
| Construction | 46 | 10.9% |
| Retail & Wholesale | 38 | 9% |
| Security & Protection | 32 | 7.6% |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | 28 | 6.6% |
| Cleaning & Property Services | 25 | 5.9% |
| IT & Communications | 24 | 5.7% |
| Education & Training | 22 | 5.2% |
| Health & Social Care | 18 | 4.3% |
| Transport & Logistics | 18 | 4.3% |
| Public Sector & Defence | 12 | 2.8% |
| Other Services | 10 | 2.4% |
| Utilities | 10 | 2.4% |
| Real Estate | 9 | 2.1% |
| Financial Services | 8 | 1.9% |
| Manufacturing | 8 | 1.9% |
| Accommodation & Food | 6 | 1.4% |
| Administrative & Support Services | 6 | 1.4% |
| Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing | 2 | 0.5% |
| Total | 422 |
Which services did veteran business owners serve in?
69.4% of verified businesses in our directory are run by British Army veterans, the largest group by far. For comparison, 76.3% of veterans in England and Wales served in the regular forces, 19.5% in the reserves and 4.3% in both.
| Category | Listings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| British Army | 293 | 69.4% |
| Royal Navy | 52 | 12.3% |
| Royal Air Force | 38 | 9% |
| Royal Marines | 4 | 0.9% |
| Total | 422 |
| Category | Listings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Veteran | 379 | 89.8% |
| Serving (regular or reserve) | 34 | 8.1% |
| Military spouse or family | 5 | 1.2% |
| Other | 1 | 0.2% |
| Total | 422 |
How fast is the directory growing?
The directory has grown from 316 listings in 2025 to 422 today. Every listing is free, and each owner's service is checked before the business appears.
| Year | Added | Running total |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 316 | 316 |
| 2026 | 106 | 422 |
How many veterans are there in the UK?
The 2021 Census recorded 1,853,112 veterans in England and Wales, 3.8% of residents aged 16 and over. Scotland's Census 2022 recorded 176,100. Northern Ireland has not published a comparable figure.
A veteran is anyone who has served for at least one day in HM Armed Forces, regular or reserve. British Veteran Owned also verifies businesses owned by serving personnel and military families; see what counts as a veteran-owned business.
Methodology
- Directory figures count active, verified listings in the British Veteran Owned directory and refresh hourly.
- Regions are the UK's 12 ITL1 regions, assigned from each business's postcode using postcodes.io (ONS postcode data). Listings without a usable postcode are shown as not yet located.
- Service branch and ownership type come from the owner's verified profile. Some older profiles have no branch recorded.
- “Other Services” covers businesses that don't fit a named sector, such as pet care and celebrants.
- The directory counts businesses that chose to be verified, so it is a sample, not a census of every veteran-owned business.
Frequently asked questions
- How many veteran-owned businesses are there in the UK?
- No official register counts them. British Veteran Owned estimates around 340,000 veteran-owned small businesses (about 6% of UK SMEs); see our Economic Power report. Our directory currently lists 422 businesses whose veteran ownership we have verified.
- How many veterans live in the UK?
- The 2021 Census counted 1,853,112 veterans in England and Wales (3.8% of residents aged 16 and over), and Scotland's Census 2022 counted 176,100 (3.9%). Northern Ireland's census has not published an equivalent figure, and the two censuses were a year apart, so we don't add them together.
- Which service branch do most veteran business owners come from?
- In our directory, 69.4% of verified businesses are run by British Army veterans, followed by Royal Navy (12.3%) and Royal Air Force (9%).
- Can I reuse these figures?
- Yes. The figures are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit to British Veteran Owned. Download the CSV; it refreshes hourly with the directory.