How many pubs and bars are there in the UK? (2026)

Britain's licensed premises, which include pubs, bars, clubs and licensed restaurants, number just under 100,000. The licensed trade monitor counted 99,296 licensed premises in Britain in its latest reading, a net fall of 572 in the prior year. Pubs and bars sit inside that figure as one of its largest parts, and inside a wider UK hospitality total of 176,685 accommodation and food services businesses counted by the Office for National Statistics as of March 2025.

Last updated: 29 September 2026.

The answer, two ways

The count depends on whether you mean licensed premises or hospitality businesses overall.

Licensed premises in Britain: 99,296, per the licensed trade monitor, with 572 net closures in the latest year. This covers everything with a licence to sell alcohol: pubs, bars, clubs, licensed restaurants and hotels.

UK hospitality businesses overall: 176,685, per the ONS, as of March 2025. This is the wider accommodation and food services total, of which pubs and bars form one band.

For a sales team, both matter. The licensed premises figure is the venue count you can call on. The hospitality total is the market you are really selling into, once cafes, takeaways and restaurants are included.

Why the number moves

Pub and bar counts are not static. The licensed trade monitor records a steady net decline, driven by energy costs, staffing and changing habits. Closed venues do not always leave the register immediately, and some reopen under new owners, so published figures can lag reality. A quoted number is only useful next to its date and its definition, which is why this page gives both.

Where pubs and bars sit in the data

The ONS classifies hospitality under Standard Industrial Classification division 56, food and beverage service activities. Public houses and bars sit under subclass 56.302, alongside licensed restaurants (56.101) and unlicensed restaurants (56.102). Cafes, takeaways and event catering sit under further codes in the same division. Pubs and bars are therefore one measurable band inside the 176,685 total, not the whole of it.

A note on Peach Data

A headline count answers the market-sizing question. It does not tell a sales team which pubs and bars exist in a given town, who owns them or how to reach that owner legally. Peach Data covers that layer for the UK, Ireland, Europe and Australia: verified, TPS and CTPS screened records for the owners and decision-makers at pubs, bars, restaurants, cafes and the wider local economy. The company is ICO registered and aligned to UK GDPR.

Frequently asked questions

**How many pubs are there in the UK in 2026?**
Pubs are part of Britain's 99,296 licensed premises, per the licensed trade monitor, which also counts bars, clubs and licensed restaurants. The wider UK hospitality total is 176,685 businesses (ONS, March 2025).

**How many pubs and bars are there in the UK?**
Pubs and bars sit under ONS subclass 56.302, one band inside the 176,685 accommodation and food services businesses counted in March 2025. The licensed trade monitor put total licensed premises in Britain at 99,296.

**Are UK pubs closing?**
Yes. The licensed trade monitor recorded a net fall of 572 licensed premises in Britain in the latest year, with pubs a significant share of that decline.

**What is the source for these figures?**
Hospitality business totals are from the Office for National Statistics (UK Business: Activity, size and location, 2025). Licensed premises figures are from the licensed trade monitor, the hospitality market monitor published with AlixPartners.

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