Business finance figures for the North East, from the British Business Bank and the Finance and Leasing Association.
44% of smaller businesses in the North East were using external finance in 2024.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024
Smaller businesses (0-249 employees). UK Finance/BVA BDRC SME Finance Monitor, unweighted n=17,011 for 2024. Annual share of businesses using external finance.
The share of smaller businesses using external finance in the North East fell by 8 percentage points between 2023 and 2024.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024
Change on 2023 in percentage points as printed in the source table. The source table shows '-' for London, which is not recorded.
34% of smaller businesses in the North East were willing to use external finance to grow in 2022.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2023: English regions factsheets (data annex), British Business Bank, 2022
Factsheet table, period printed as '2022'.
34% of smaller businesses in the North East were happy to use external finance to grow and develop in 2024.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024
Report text: fallen by four percentage points to 34% in 2024.
62% of smaller businesses in the North East said they were very likely or fairly likely to seek external advice if they needed finance in the future in 2024.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024
Business Finance Survey 2024. One of the three highest shares named in the report.
7% of smaller businesses in the North East were using bank overdrafts in 2024, the lowest regional rate.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024
Report text: least likely were those in the North East, with 7%, and East Midlands, with 9%.
New finance provided by reporting lenders was equivalent to an estimated 8.2% of gross value added in the North East in 2025.
Source: The Engine Behind Northern Growth: How responsible finance can help deliver the Government's Growth Mission, Finance and Leasing Association, 2025
FLA paper, August 2026; FLA members' lending only; an FLA estimate: ONS regional GVA exists to 2023 and the paper assumes each region grew in line with the UK average to 2025 (p.5 footnote 1)
154,870 smaller businesses with 0 to 249 employees were counted in the North East at the start of 2022.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2023: English regions factsheets (data annex), British Business Bank, 2022
Factsheet table, period printed as 'Start 2022'.
63 announced equity deals were recorded for smaller businesses based in the North East in 2024.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024
Beauhurst data, based on the head office of the recipient business.
Announced equity deals for smaller businesses based in the North East were worth £141m in 2024.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2025, British Business Bank, 2024
Beauhurst data.
Major banks approved or increased 2,745 loans and overdrafts for smaller businesses in the North East in the four quarters from Q3 2022 to Q2 2023.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2023: English regions factsheets (data annex), British Business Bank, 12 months to Q2 2023
Factsheet table, period printed as 'Q3 2022-Q2 2023'. UK Finance data on the largest SME lenders; the 2023 annex marks figures as Great Britain only for the share column.
Major banks approved or increased 6,737 loans and overdrafts for smaller businesses in the North East in the 2021/22 financial year.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2022, British Business Bank, 2021/22
Annex table, period printed as '2021-22 FY'. UK Finance data on the largest SME lenders.
Major banks approved or increased loans and overdrafts worth £442m for smaller businesses in the North East in the four quarters from Q3 2022 to Q2 2023.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2023: English regions factsheets (data annex), British Business Bank, 12 months to Q2 2023
Factsheet table, period printed as 'Q3 2022-Q2 2023'. UK Finance data on the largest SME lenders; the 2023 annex marks figures as Great Britain only for the share column.
Major banks approved or increased loans and overdrafts worth £761m for smaller businesses in the North East in the 2021/22 financial year.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2022, British Business Bank, 2021/22
Annex table, period printed as '2021-22 FY'. UK Finance data on the largest SME lenders.
The national development bank newly supported an estimated 1,000 businesses in the North East in 2025/26.
Source: Impact Report 2026, British Business Bank, 2025/26
British Business Bank estimates, apportioned from UK-wide estimates using programme data on business location; rounded to the nearest hundred. Includes debt, guarantee and equity programmes.
425 Start Up Loans were offered to businesses in the North East in the 2022/23 financial year.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2023: English regions factsheets (data annex), British Business Bank, 2022/23
Factsheet table, period printed as '2022-23 FY'.
Start Up Loans offered to businesses in the North East were worth £5.4m in the 2022/23 financial year.
Source: Nations and Regions Tracker 2023: English regions factsheets (data annex), British Business Bank, 2022/23
Factsheet table, period printed as '2022-23 FY'.
44% of smaller businesses in the North East were using external finance in 2024. The share of smaller businesses using external finance in the North East fell by 8 percentage points between 2023 and 2024. 34% of smaller businesses in the North East were willing to use external finance to grow in 2022.
44% of smaller businesses in the North East were using external finance in 2024.
The share of smaller businesses using external finance in the North East fell by 8 percentage points between 2023 and 2024.
34% of smaller businesses in the North East were willing to use external finance to grow in 2022.