Driving positive change through data

Currently 19.9% of active UK companies are female-led. Our aim is to significantly increase that number using our gender disaggregated data.
home image
What is The Gender Index?

Mapping the impact of female-led companies on the UK economy is crucial for a stronger, more inclusive economy. Yet, a freely available tool to measure their number, potential, and support their growth has been lacking.

Enter our groundbreaking data source, which benchmarks female entrepreneur activity and spotlights the gender gap in entrepreneurship. Join us in using this free data to empower women and bridge the divide.

How does it work?

Our AI-powered tool is one-of-a-kind, mapping all 4.5+ million active UK companies in real-time. With customizable search options, explore insights by gender, sector, investment type, ethnic minority leadership, and more.

Track progress, growth, and trends by various criteria instantly. All the data you need is right at your fingertips.

Who is it for?

Whether you're a female founder seeking growth, a policymaker, journalist, educator, corporate entity, or investor, we've got you covered.

The Gender Index is freely accessible and open for use. Download our annual reports or craft and distribute your customized reports to spark dialogue, ideas, and policy actions. Together, let's propel towards a more equitable future.

home image
The UK story so far
999.1K
Active Female-led companies
19.9%
of total active companies
168.9K
Female-led incorporations in the last 12 months
8.7%
from previous 12 months
6.2K
Investments received by female-led companies in the last 12 months
6.1%
of all investments
home image
The national picture

AI Summary: Overall, there is a notable shift towards more Female-led companies in all nations except for England. Wales saw the largest increase of 0.13%, followed by Northern Ireland, and Scotland. England was the only nation with less Female-led companies than 12 months ago.

Nation
% female-led*
% change**
England
20.02%
-0.04%
Northern Ireland
17.72%
0.11%
Scotland
19.22%
0.05%
Wales
19.15%
0.13%
*Active UK companies
**previous 12 months
Explore the data
Fewer % led
More % led
Female incorporations vs closures over the last 12 months

AI Summary: Female company incorporations have shown a fluctuating but seasonal trend over the last 12 months, with a peak of 17,415 in Jan 2024 and a low of 12,021 the month before. Closures have been more consistent, reaching a high of 12,972 in Jan 2024 and a low of 8,313 in Mar 2023.

Generational shift through gender

AI Summary: Generational shift in companies is evident with a shift in Male-led companies from 56.32% (Silent) to 70.87% (Generation Z), this is less pronounced in Female-led companies, from 21.62% (Silent) to 21.08% (Generation Z).

Active UK company generation analysis
Investment into active female-led companies

AI Summary: In the past year, investment into active Female-led companies has been consistent across all investment types, with an average of 6.1%. Angel investments remain the most popular choice for funding Female-led companies.

Investment type
No. of investments*
Percentage**
Venture capital
55
6.37%
Private Equity
20
5.63%
Angel
4.2K
6.13%
Other
1.9K
6.15%
*Last 12 months**of all investments
8.36%
Increase in the number of active ethnic minority female-led companies across the UK over the last 12 months
Ethnicity across the UK

AI Summary: There has been an 8.36% growth in ethnic minority Female-led companies in the last 12 months, with a total of 441,797 companies compared to 407,706 in the previous 12 months. This indicates a positive trend in the rise of diversity and inclusion in company leadership.

Female-led sector analysis

AI Summary: The highest represented sector in the UK was Health, wellbeing and social care, with 40.83% of companies being Female-led. Meanwhile, the least represented sector in the UK for Female-led companies was Energy suppliers.

Top 5 female-led sectors
%*
Health, wellbeing and social care
40.80%
Education
36.10%
Public health and safety services
35.90%
Service sector
31.90%
Arts, entertainment and recreation
24.40%
Bottom 5 female-led sectors
%*
Energy suppliers
6.00%
Construction
8.60%
Mining and quarrying
9.80%
Financial services
10.90%
Water and waste services
10.90%
*Percentage of Female-led companies
Active importers in the UK
 
 
13.16% Female-led
86.84% other genders
Active exporters in the UK
 
 
12.46% Female-led
87.54% other genders
International trade

AI Summary: In the UK, Female-led businesses comprise 13.16% of active importers, compared to 12.46% of active exporters, showing a slightly higher percentage of Female-led importers than exporters.

Secured debt gender analysis

AI Summary: In the UK, 14.86% of companies with secured debt were led by females, as opposed to 62.47% by males.

Percentage of active companies with secured debt
14.9%
Female-led
62.5%
Male-led
22.7%
Other
home image
Delve into the data yourself:

Explore gender-disaggregated data beyond the UK national level through our interactive dashboard. Discover insights at the regional and local authority levels, or dive into the latest TGI report for comprehensive analysis of the UK gender landscape.

home image
home image
Latest news
Explore the latest news on the Gender Index, roadshows, blogs, and featured stories from our TGI guests and sponsors.
2024 is a big year for female entrepreneurs - here’s what you need to know
Read more
5 ways entrepreneurs can upskill in 2023
Read more
The roadmap to investment every female founder should follow
Read more
Made possible by
  • aws
  • goldman-sachs
  • hsbc
  • mnai
  • nat-west-group
  • shoosmiths

We use cookies to effortlessly improve your experience on our site. Cookies also help us understand how our site is being used, so that we can keep making it better. You can read more about it in our cookie policy and change your settings here at any time.