26 years
Annual UK Data
53 economies
2025 global survey
150,000+
Interviews annually
120 economies
Historical data coverage
WHAT IS GEM UK?
The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) is the world’s largest and longest-running study of entrepreneurial activity. GEM UK — based at the Enterprise Research Centre at Warwick Business School — has delivered annual survey data on entrepreneurship in the United Kingdom since 1999, providing a unique 26-year longitudinal evidence base.
GEM UK collects primary survey data directly from adult populations across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is the only study in the world to collect this data from individuals — rather than firms — enabling analysis of the full entrepreneurial pipeline from intention to exit.
The UK national report is published annually in partnership with NatWest Group. Devolved reports for Scotland (Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh), Wales and Northern Ireland (Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast) are published simultaneously.
KEY FINDINGS 2024/25
| 36% | of working-age adults are either running a new business or intend to start one within three years — the highest level since 1999 |
| 10% | Early-stage entrepreneurial activity by women — a threefold increase since 2002, from 3.5%; the most significant demographic shift in 25 years of UK data |
| Most active | Immigrant and non-white ethnic populations remain consistently the most entrepreneurial groups in the UK, outperforming the national TEA average every year |
| AI gap | Entrepreneurs with growth and job-creation ambitions are substantially more optimistic about AI than the broader entrepreneur population |
WHAT GEM MEASURES
- Early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA) — share of working-age adults starting or running a new business
- Entrepreneurial intentions — adults planning to start within three years
- Established business ownership — businesses more than 3.5 years old
- Entrepreneurial employee activity — innovation within existing organisations
- Fear of failure — a key attitudinal barrier to business creation
- Opportunity vs necessity entrepreneurship — motivations behind creation
- Growth ambitions — job creation expectations among early-stage entrepreneurs
- Diversity — activity rates by gender, ethnicity, age and immigration status
- AI awareness and adoption — among entrepreneurs (introduced 2024)
POLICY RELEVANCE
GEM UK data is used by:
- UK Government (DBT) as a key indicator in small business and enterprise strategy
- Devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for enterprise benchmarking
- NatWest Group for targeting enterprise support programmes
- Academic researchers for longitudinal and cross-national analysis
- International policymakers via the GEM Global Consortium (53 economies in 2025)
The 2024/25 report contextualises entrepreneurship over 25 years of upheaval — from 9/11 and the Great Financial Crisis through Brexit and COVID-19 — finding the UK has become a significantly more entrepreneurial society despite these shocks.
