The number of businesses in Britain has reached another record high and companies with no staff have once again seen a big increase.

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The state of business Britain 2017: Micros on the up again [GRAPHIC]

Official government figures show there 5,694,515 businesses in the UK at the start of 2017, an increase of 197,000 since 2016, and 2.2 million more than in 2000.

A total of 4,327,680 firms have no staff, an increase of 155,000, meaning that 76% of companies do not employ anyone aside from the owner.

 the number of businesses increased by 97,000 with non-employing companies rising by 84,000 so this year's statistics are a significant hike.

Small businesses account for 99.3% of all private sector businesses, 1,117,810 of which are micro-companies with between one and nine employees A total of 99.9% are small or medium-sized.

Total employment in SMEs is 16.1m, 60% of all private sector employment in the UK. The combined annual turnover amounts to £1.9 trillion, 51% of all private sector turnover.

Contribution of different sized businesses to total

population, employment, and turnover, at start of 2017:

Estimated number of businesses in the UK private sector and associated employment and turnover, by size of business:

Number of businesses in the UK private sector with and without employees, by legal status, start of 2017:

UK private sector business population, 2000 to 2017:

Growth in the number of UK private sector businesses by size band, 2000 to 2017 (index: base year=2000):

Number of businesses in the UK private sector per 10,000 adults, UK region and country, start of 2017:

<p>I'm a <a href='http://www.danmartinuk.com'>freelance content creator and event host</a> who helps small businesses and the organisations that support them. I have 18 years of experience as a small business journalist having interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurs from billionaires like Sir Richard Branson to the founders behind brand new start-ups. I've worked for a range of leading small business publications and support groups, most recently as head of content at Enterprise Nation where I was responsible for the prolific output of content on the company's blog and social media. I'm based in Bristol where I run and host regular events with the local small business community and have strong connections to major business organisations in the south west region. In total, I've hosted over 50 events; from intimate meet-ups to conferences with an audience of hundreds including events for international brands like Facebook and Xero. I'm also a big fan of podcasts having hosted Enterprise Nation's Small Business Sessions as well as lots of online events including Facebook Live interviews, webinars and three live web chats from inside 10 Downing Street. With my partner, I co-run Lifestyle District, a lifestyle blog focused on culture, art, theatre and photography.</p>

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The state of business Britain 2017: Micros on the up again [GRAPHIC]

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