The total number of businesses operating in the UK design industry has grown dramatically over the past eight years, according to research collated by London's Design Museum. 
Analysis of the Office of National Statistics (ONS) data, published by the museum this week, shows that the number of design-related businesses in the UK has grown by 70 per cent since 2010.
Number of design businesses growing faster than national average
This is a much faster rate than that of other industries, which have seen a 27 per cent increase over the same period. Furthermore, startups in the design world are founded at two and a half times the national average, the research found.
"British designers are some of the most entrepreneurial people in our country, said Design Museum co-director Alice Black. "They build businesses from scratch, contribute to the growth of well-paid, high-skilled jobs across the UK and help us deliver a prosperous and productive economy. From technology to fashion, design in Britain is powering a new industrial age."
In interpreting the ONS research, the museum has taken design-led businesses to include architecture, digital design, software, clothing and textiles, and product design.
Design businesses boost UK regions as well as the capital
The data demonstrates that the design industry is very important to the UK economy, with more than 1.5 million design-related jobs.
Figures from the ONS also show the extent to which UK regions are boosted by the...