ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

The value of the cleaning, hygiene and waste industry in the UK continues to grow, reaching almost £72bn according to latest figures, with the number of staff employed and number of businesses also on the up.

The rise from £67.7 billion in 2022 (the figure has been revised up) to nearly £72 billion in 2023 for the amount the sector contributes to the nation's wealth maintains its position as one of the UK‘s top 10 industries, according to the British Cleaning Council's (BCC) 2026 annual research report.

The report, published earlier this week, says the total number of individuals working in the cleaning, hygiene and waste industry is 1.51 million, approximately fuve per cent of the UK workforce, and up from 1.49 million the previous year.

The sector continues to grow steadily, with a reported 78,915 businesses operating in 2025, up from 77,535 businesses operating in 2024.Almost 46 per cent of the industry turnover is from facilities management, while waste and resource management contribute 26 per cent, cleaning activities 18 per cent and landscape services almost 10 per cent.

Nearly five out of six companies (83 per cent) are micro businesses, employing less than 10 individuals and more than 99 per cent of businesses are private firms.

Challenges identified in the report include the continued struggle to recruit, an ageing workforce and the lack of Government recognition. Other topics tackled include workforce size and characteristics, working hours and pay, sub-industries and occupations.

To order your free digital copy of the BCC's 2026 research report, email: compsec@britishcleaningcouncil.org