171 new companies in Northern Ireland this week
171 new private limited companies and LLPs were incorporated in Northern Ireland in the 7 days 13 Oct 2026 to 19 Oct 2026, 2.8% down on the previous week (176), according to the FreshlySpotted New Business Index, based on Companies House data.
The last 8 weeks
See the numbers as a table
| This week | Previous week | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 171 | 176 | -2.8% (-5) |
| Ltd | 171 | 176 | -2.8% (-5) |
| LLP | 0 | 0 | n/a |
| Week ending | New companies |
|---|---|
| 31 Aug 2026 | 160 |
| 7 Sep 2026 | 190 |
| 14 Sep 2026 | 169 |
| 21 Sep 2026 | 169 |
| 28 Sep 2026 | 175 |
| 5 Oct 2026 | 168 |
| 12 Oct 2026 | 176 |
| 19 Oct 2026 | 171 |
Formed each day this week
- 42Tue 13
- 33Wed 14
- 28Thu 15
- 29Fri 16
- <5Sat 17
- <5Sun 18
- 33Mon 19
By incorporation date. Weekends are quiet: Companies House mostly processes on working days. Recent days can still fill in. Counts under 5 are shown as <5.
Top industries this week
Counts are by registered office address, which is not always where a business trades. Areas with company-formation or registered-office providers may show higher numbers.
Councils, ranked
11 councils in Northern Ireland
- Belfast46▼ −14.8%
- Newry, Mourne and Down23▲ +15.0%
- Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon17▼ −26.1%
- Mid Ulster17▲ +13.3%
- Derry City and Strabane16▲ +77.8%
- Ards and North Down14▲ +16.7%
- Antrim and Newtownabbey11▼ −8.3%
- Lisburn and Castlereagh8▼ −38.5%
- Mid and East Antrim8No comparison
- Causeway Coast and Glens6No comparison
- Fermanagh and Omagh5▼ −50.0%
Counts are by registered office address, which is not always where a business trades. Areas with company-formation or registered-office providers may show higher numbers.
Show as a table
| Area | This week | Change on previous week |
|---|---|---|
| Belfast | 46 | -14.8% (-8) |
| Newry, Mourne and Down | 23 | +15.0% (+3) |
| Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon | 17 | -26.1% (-6) |
| Mid Ulster | 17 | +13.3% (+2) |
| Derry City and Strabane | 16 | +77.8% (+7) |
| Ards and North Down | 14 | +16.7% (+2) |
| Antrim and Newtownabbey | 11 | -8.3% (-1) |
| Lisburn and Castlereagh | 8 | -38.5% (-5) |
| Mid and East Antrim | 8 | n/a |
| Causeway Coast and Glens | 6 | n/a |
| Fermanagh and Omagh | 5 | -50.0% (-5) |
Counts are by registered office address, which is not always where a business trades. Areas with company-formation or registered-office providers may show higher numbers.
What kind of companies
- IT, software & telecoms21▼ −30.0%
- Construction & trades21▲ +50.0%
- Professional & business services20▼ −25.9%
- Retail & e-commerce18▼ −18.2%
- Food, drink & hospitality17▲ +6.2%
- Property & lettings15▼ −16.7%
- Holding companies & head offices10▲ +42.9%
- Manufacturing & engineering9▲ +80.0%
- Wholesale & trading7No comparison
- Transport & logistics6Same as last week
Counts are by registered office address, which is not always where a business trades. Areas with company-formation or registered-office providers may show higher numbers.
Show as a table
| Industry group | This week | Change on previous week |
|---|---|---|
| IT, software & telecoms | 21 | -30.0% (-9) |
| Construction & trades | 21 | +50.0% (+7) |
| Professional & business services | 20 | -25.9% (-7) |
| Retail & e-commerce | 18 | -18.2% (-4) |
| Food, drink & hospitality | 17 | +6.2% (+1) |
| Property & lettings | 15 | -16.7% (-3) |
| Holding companies & head offices | 10 | +42.9% (+3) |
| Manufacturing & engineering | 9 | +80.0% (+4) |
| Wholesale & trading | 7 | n/a |
| Transport & logistics | 6 | +0.0% (+0) |
Counts are by registered office address, which is not always where a business trades. Areas with company-formation or registered-office providers may show higher numbers.
Industry groups are FreshlySpotted's own grouping of SIC 2007 codes (first code listed). Area is from the registered office postcode district.
Questions about new companies in Northern Ireland
How many new companies were registered in Northern Ireland this week?
171 new private limited companies and LLPs were incorporated in Northern Ireland in the 7 days 13 Oct 2026 to 19 Oct 2026, 2.8% down on the previous week (176), according to the FreshlySpotted New Business Index, based on Companies House data.
How does that compare with last week?
That's 5 fewer than the week before (176).
Which council had the most new companies in Northern Ireland this week?
Belfast, with 46 new companies in the week ending 19 Oct 2026.
What kinds of companies are being set up in Northern Ireland?
The biggest industry groups this week were IT, software & telecoms (21), Construction & trades (21), Professional & business services (20).
Where do these figures come from?
Companies House incorporation records for new Ltd companies and LLPs, counted by incorporation date and matched to councils with the ONS National Statistics Postcode Lookup. Updated every Monday. Counts under 5 are shown as <5.
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Figures under 5 are shown as <5. How we count
New companies per week in Northern Ireland. Source: FreshlySpotted New Business Index (NIMBUS LABS LTD), based on Companies House and ONS data (Open Government Licence v3.0).