Small businesses number 5.7m
The number of small businesses in the UK now stands at a record 5.7m - almost 200,000 more than a year ago and 2.2m higher than in 2000. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said that small businesses accounted for 99.3% of companies in the private sector and employed 16.1m people.
Source: The Sun (29/11/2017)