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234,000 businesses in the UK have multinational operations spanning 128 countries, and 84% are SMEs, new research reveals.
This international trade is driven by the UK’s youngest technology enterprises, according to the research by Howden Employee Benefits and Beauhurst.
There are currently 24,700 companies under five years old operating overseas, with more than 3,000 of them in the digital and technology sector, including 565 specialised AI companies.
Europe is the dominant destination for international expansion by UK companies, accounting for 84,800 operations, nearly five times the volume of the next largest region.
Other regions are growing in prominence though, the study said, with more than 17,000 UK businesses operating in Asia, and almost 9,000 in the Pacific.
The figures prove that “scaling across borders is no longer reserved for massive corporations”, the report said. “Driven by a digital and technology boom, small, agile firms are going global earlier in their lifecycle than ever before.”
Sectors driving multinational expansion from the UK (as of May 2026)
| Industry | Number of outbound companies |
| Digital and technology | 25,600 |
| Professional and business services | 22,000 |
| Creative industries | 21,100 |
| Application software | 19,100 |
| Manufacturing | 17,400 |
| Online retailing | 16,500 |
| Cars, motorcycles and other road vehicles | 14,800 |
| Distribution and wholesale | 12,600 |
| Clothes | 11,100 |
| Parts and components | 8,400 |
