Number of UK Pubs Increases

For the first time in ten years the number of pubs and bars in the UK has grown. Since 2007 the number of pubs and bars fell every single year until last year. Between 2018 and 2019 the number of pubs and bars in the UK increased by 315, a 0.8% increase and the first increase for a decade.

The slight increase in pubs and bars last year isn't enough to reverse the years of decline in the sector. From 2001 to 2019 nearly every area of the UK saw an overall decrease in the number of pubs and bars. You can see the plus or minus percentage change in the number of pubs and bars in your local area on the Office for National Statistics interactive map Change in Pub Numbers 2001-2019.

The Office for National Statistics has released a report on the changes in the UK pubs and bars sector last year. Economies of Ale not only explores the increase in pubs and bars last year but also looks at the number of people employed in the sector. While the number of pubs and bars has been declining since 2011 the number of people employed in the sector has been increasing. Since 2016 the number of people employed to serve food has been higher than the number of people employed behind the bar. This reflects the fact that people in the UK are increasingly spending more on eating out and less on drinking out.