Fastest Growing Cities in the UK for Your Business

Bradford is one of the UK’s largest cities and has the quickest-growing population besides London. Around 542K people reside there, which is likely to increase by 3.7% by 2030, possibly adding 20K individuals.

As per metals4U, the UK’s biggest online metal supplier, Bradford, also known as Wool City, had a business survival rate of 91.5% in 2022. Furthermore, Wildcat Digital named it the UK’s most entrepreneurial city. Bradford, covered by the 01274 dialing code, has major industrial sectors in advanced engineering, automotive components, and food manufacturing.

From 2011’s 325,800 to 2021’s 353,300, Wakefield had an 8.4% increment in its population. After Selby, it had the largest population increase. Additionally, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated the city’s residents to be 357,729 in the mid-2022 population estimate. Most of the city’s users use the 01924 phone area code.
 

From Wrexham’s 6,714 citizens in 1851 to 45,000 in 2024, Wales' fourth-largest city by population has come a long way. Spread around about 311 square miles, it is covered by the 01978 dialing code.

Tourism is one of Wrexham’s booming industries, all thanks to Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Since the duo purchased Wrexham Association Football Club in 2020, the city has seen a massive increase in its tourism’s financial value. It rose from $65M (2020) to $235M (2023) in a mere span of three years. Additionally, Wrexham has a business survival rate of 92.1% with over 12K businesses.

Brighton & Hove JSNA (Joint Strategic Needs Assessment) estimated the city’s 2023 population to be 279,600, which is 3,300 more than ONS’s 2021 mid-year population estimation of 276,300. Moreover, the city’s total number of residents is expected to reach 303,000 in 2030, overlooked by the area code 01273.

While Brighton & Hove has a 90.9% business survival rate, it is also one of the fastest growing cities in retail, hospitality, and construction in the UK. Some key flourishing industries in the region are CDIT (Creative, Digital, and IT), advanced engineering, life and health sciences, and financial and professional services.

According to Statista, Birmingham had a population of 1,157,603 in 2022, the highest in the West Midlands metropolitan county. It is projected to grow to 1,186,000 by 2028 and 1,230,000 by 2038.

Outside of London, Birmingham, nicknamed Brum, is a flourishing tech hub with the largest economic output. Represented by the 0121 area code, other well-doing industries are advanced manufacturing, food and drink, professional and financial services, and tech and digital, with a business survival rate of 89.5%.

Perth is one of Scotland’s fastest-growing cities. Furthermore, its population is likely to increase by over 10,000 individuals over the next 15 years. Reports state Perth had a population of over 47K in 2022, which now is around 50K.

Known as “The Fair City,” Perth generated £4 billion ($5.4 billion) in Gross Value Added (GVA) in 2019 alone. The city’s business survival rate is 92.9%, and sectors such as food and drink, leisure, business and eco-tourism, energy transition, and creative and digital industries thrive there. They operate using the 01738 area code.

Cambridge’s population grew by more than 21K from 2011 to 2021, the East of England’s largest percentage increase (17.6%) during that time frame.

Operating under the 01223 area code, the quickest-growing sectors in the territory are life sciences and high-tech manufacturing. Biotechnology, healthcare, software, and internet services are also equally thriving. More importantly, The Guardian formerly reported Cambrdige to be the UK’s best town/city for startups, stating that 49.4% of businesses are still operating even after half a decade.

Leeds's population increased by 8.1% within a decade. In 2011, there were 751K individuals, which rose to 812K in 2021.

Unsurprisingly, Leeds is one the fastest-growing cities in the UK, where business and financial services cover almost 38% of total output. Manufacturing and construction also play a great role in the region that uses the 0113 area code. With a business survival rate of 88.4%, Leeds has over 6K small and medium-sized enterprises and more than 32K VAT-registered businesses. 

Glasgow’s current population is 635,000 and was 622,820 in June 2022. Since 2001, the city has had a population growth rate of 9.73%, which is likely to grow in the coming days.

Having implemented the 0141 phone area code, Glasgow is the largest city of Scotland. It is a metropolitan region’s center which generated over £48 billion ($62,6 billion) GVA in 2021 alone. Transport and communication, public admin education and health, and banking finance, and insurance, are the leading sectors of the region.

Peterborough’s mid-2022 population was over 218K. From 2011, the city’s inhabitants had an 18.84% increase. Moreover, the number of people there is forecasted to grow by 17% within almost two decades (2022-2041).

Agri-tech, digital and creative, advanced engineering and manufacturing, and financial services are some of the top industries in Peterborough. The prosperous sector, encompassed by the 01733 area code, is attractive for newcomers and has a 5-year business survival rate of 38.00%.

As stated earlier, Great Britain's population doubled since 1871 and is still increasing. Bradford, Wakefield, Wrexham, and Birmingham are some of the fastest-growing cities in the UK. Well, not just in terms of population, but all of them have a decent business survival rate, attracting up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

So, if you are planning to open a firm or expand your already established business there, it could be quite fruitful. Furthermore, sign up with Calilio today, get your desired UK virtual phone number with the respective area code, and enhance your business communication in the region.