Annual Business Inquiry

This is organised by the government's Office of National Statistics (ONS). It is a survey of a representative sample of employers in the United Kingdom. The ABI samples approximately 78,000 businesses each year, with the sample being drawn from the Inter-Departmental Business Register. The sample is stratified by industy, using Standard Industrial Classification and by six size bands. The ABI is the most accurate count of the number of businesses and employees available in the UK.