Self-Employment: London vs North West
Comparing self-employment in London and North West using official ONS figures. In 2019, 864,251 people were self-employed in London (18.6% of the workforce) versus 481,702 in North West (14.0%). London has the higher self-employment rate, by 4.6%.
Quick answer
Side by side
| Measure | London | North West |
|---|---|---|
| Self-employed people | 864,251 | 481,702 |
| Self-employment rate | 18.6% | 14.0% |
| Rank by rate (of 12) | 1st | 8th |
| Rank by number (of 12) | 1st | 4th |
| Reference period | 2019 | 2019 |
Ranks are across all 12 UK statistical regions. The self-employed count and rate are the latest ONS regional figures (2019); the national rate is from ONS EMP14 (Jan-Mar 2026) and is not directly comparable to the regional counts.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has a higher self-employment rate, London or North West?
- London has the higher self-employment rate: 18.6% vs 14.0% — a gap of 4.6%. Source: ONS Annual Population Survey (2019).
- How many people are self-employed in London and North West?
- 864,251 people are self-employed in London and 481,702 in North West (ONS, 2019). That is a difference of 382,549 people, with London having more.
- How do London and North West rank in the UK for self-employment?
- Out of the 12 UK regions, London ranks 1st by self-employment rate and North West ranks 8th. Both are measured against the UK-wide rate of 13.4% (Jan-Mar 2026).
- Is self-employment growing faster in London or North West?
- The ONS regional breakdown reports a point-in-time count and rate for 2019, not a growth rate, so a like-for-like growth comparison is not available from this dataset. What it does show is that London has the higher self-employment rate of the two (18.6%).
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Self-employment by NUTS1 (region) (2019, released 2020-04-17). Survey source: Annual Population Survey (regional, 2018-based weights) / Labour Force Survey (national). Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data accessed and verified 2026-06-27.