Based on the expert analysis and our database of 440+ UK industries, IBISWorld presents a list of the Most Profitable Industries in the UK in 2024
The 10 Most Profitable Industries in the UK
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1. Banks in the UK
Total Profit for 2024: $58.3B
Over the five years through 2023-24, UK banks' revenue is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 0.3% to £123.2 billion, including anticipated growth of 9.9% in 2023-24. Low interest rates after the financial crisis limited the interest earned by banks from loans, hitting income. At the same time, a stricter regulatory environment, including increased capital requirements introduced under the Basel III banking reforms and ring-fencing regulations, constricted lending activity. To protect their profitability, banks have shut the doors of lots of branches and made substantial job cuts.
The COVID-19 outbreak triggered a dramatic decline in revenue during 2020-21... Learn More
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2. Pension Funding in the UK
Total Profit for 2024: $35.1B
Pension funds are undergoing a period of change. The past few years marked a shift from defined benefit (DB) to defined contribution (DC) schemes dominating the industry. Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, equity markets were destabilised, causing asset values to decline in 2020. However, the steady recovery of economic conditions as the pandemic wound down was mirrored in equity values, supporting pension fund assets.
Pension funds were rocked in late 2022, when a fire sale of gilts meant that funds were forced to sell assets to meet margin calls. The hit taken to pension assets means that revenue is... Learn More
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3. Construction Contractors in the UK
Total Profit for 2024: $29.7B
Companies in the Construction Contractors industry are active across the building construction and civil engineering markets. Despite being remunerated for completing new building and infrastructure construction contracts or fulfilling maintenance, repair, renovation and remodelling contract obligations, the spectrum of services offered by civils and general building contractors in this industry is multifaceted. Some contractors focus on new dwellings construction, while civil engineering specialists afford clients services across the infrastructure value chain. Some contractors specialise in commercial building activity, while many independent contractors may focus on small-scale repair and maintenance contracts in local markets.
In the lead-up to the pandemic, the government's... Learn More
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4. Legal Activities in the UK
Total Profit for 2024: $15.4B
Over the five years through 2023-24, revenue is projected to contract at a compound annual rate of 0.1%. Widespread business uncertainty during the COVID-19 outbreak and ongoing inflationary pressures has limited industry growth. However, the industry is countercyclical, meaning that demand for legal work in certain areas, including litigation and insolvency matters, grows in times of economic downturn. This is expected to mitigate steeper declines. The largest firms have responded to the challenges posed by weaker business activity in the UK by expanding internationally, engaging in M&A initiatives and broadening their services to compete with accounting firms.
The introduction of legislation... Learn More
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5. Management Consultants in the UK
Total Profit for 2024: $12.1B
Over the five years through 2022-23, revenue is projected to climb at a compound annual rate of 2.3%. This growth has primarily been driven by an enhanced demand for IT consulting services. In addition, regulatory changes in the financial services sector, the industry's largest downstream market, have benefitted the industry, as banks and other financial institutions have required assistance to reformulate business strategies and operations to comply with new policies.
Plunging business confidence following the COVID-19 outbreak reduced demand for consulting services in 2020-21, as downstream companies held back on expanding their operations in the immediate aftermath of the outbreak. In... Learn More
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6. Computer Consultants in the UK
Total Profit for 2024: $11.9B
The Computer Consultants industry is composed of businesses that provide expert advice and assistance in planning and designing computer systems that integrate computer hardware, software and communication technologies. Computer consultants provide services to clients in all sectors of the economy, although the financial services and public sectors are particularly important markets. Demand for industry services is largely influenced by business confidence levels, which typically rise and fall in line with general economic conditions, and technological advancements, particularly those that are beneficial to businesses.
Over the five years through 2022-23, industry revenue is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of... Learn More
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7. New Car & Light Motor Vehicle Dealers in the UK
Total Profit for 2024: $10.2B
Revenue is anticipated to plunge at a compound annual rate of 3.5% to £120.1 billion over the five years through 2023-24, including revenue growth of 3.3% in 2023-24. New car registrations have inched downwards – the result of skyrocketing fuel prices and customers delaying sales. New car sales are rising in 2023 driven by electric sales and plug-in hybrids, despite squeezed household incomes. Stricter environmental laws, like the expansion of the ULEZ zone in London, are leading to higher business sales, boosting revenue in 2023.
In 2020-21, the COVID-19 outbreak decimated new car sales. Car dealers were forced to close their... Learn More
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8. Security & Commodity Contracts Brokerage in the UK
Total Profit for 2024: $9.4B
Volatility in financial markets has been high in recent years, which has, at times, benefitted the brokerage industry. Most notably, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine conflict and aggressive interest hikes from Central Banks facing rampant inflation have generated extreme volatility, ratcheting up trading volumes and aiding revenue growth. Revenue is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 2% over the five years through 2022-23 to £38.3 billion, including estimated growth of 5.6% in 2022-23.
Competition has fallen, as considerable consolidation activity has occurred between SMEs in the brokerage industry. However, the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II has ramped... Learn More
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9. Building Project Development in the UK
Total Profit for 2024: $9.3B
The financial and operational success of development markets depends on a range of socio-economic factors, such as property values, market sentiment and credit conditions. Building project developers' revenue is forecast to decrease at a compound annual rate of 4.2% to £34.9 billion over the five years through 2023-24. Pre-pandemic, Brexit-related uncertainty dampened investor sentiment and cooled property markets. Despite this, the collective performance of UK property developers remained resilient, aided by policy support for housebuilding and government investment in public sector facilities.
The economic shock caused by the pandemic reversed fortunes in the property development market in 2020-21. Severe supply chain... Learn More
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10. Business Process Outsourcing Services in the UK
Total Profit for 2024: $8.9B
Business process outsourcing (BPO) companies provide services to clients in all sectors of the economy, with the financial services and public sectors being particularly important markets. IT adoption and government expenditure have increased throughout the period, incentivising businesses to invest more heavily in IT systems and upgrades, supporting demand for BPO services.
Industry revenue is forecast to fall at a compound annual rate of 2.5% over the five years through 2023-24 to £71.5 billion, including expected growth of 4.6% in 2023-24. Advances in cloud computing, mobile technology and big data have also created new opportunities for industry operators to add value... Learn More
More Industry Trends
Fastest Growing Industries in the UK in 2024
Based on the expert analysis and our database of 440+ UK industries, IBISWorld presents a list of the Fastest Growing Industries in the UK by Revenue Growth (%) in 2024
VIEW ARTICLEBiggest Industries by Revenue in the UK in 2024
Based on the expert analysis and our database of 440+ UK industries, IBISWorld presents a list of the Biggest Industries by Revenue. in the UK in 2024
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