The register, 27 September 2026
171,886 charities are registered in England and Wales. 9,327 of them are behind with their accounts.
That is 5.4% of the register. 6,380 have been in default for two years or more. And the money is not spread the way the numbers suggest: the largest 1% of charities take 67% of the sector's £108.4bn income.
Joining and leaving, year by year
Around five thousand charities join the register every year, and nearly as many leave it. In 6 of the 18 full years since 2008, more left than joined. In 2025, 4,767 were registered and 4,272 removed. The full series.
Where accounts go unfiled
Every council area, ranked by the share of the charities working there that are behind with their accounts (areas with 150 or more charities). The national rate is 5.4%.
| Council area | Charities | Behind | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lambeth | 830 | 82 | 9.9% |
| Sandwell | 907 | 90 | 9.9% |
| Thurrock | 252 | 25 | 9.9% |
| Barking and Dagenham | 492 | 46 | 9.3% |
| Isle of Anglesey | 300 | 28 | 9.3% |
| Brent | 603 | 54 | 9.0% |
| Greenwich | 589 | 53 | 9.0% |
| Newham | 666 | 60 | 9.0% |
All 174 council areas · The largest charities behind on their accounts
The ten largest charities by income
| # | Charity | No. | Latest income |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuffield Health | 205533 | £1.5bn |
| 2 | The Charities Aid Foundation | 268369 | £1.4bn |
| 3 | Save the Children International | 1076822 | £1.1bn |
| 4 | The British Council | 209131 | £1.0bn |
| 5 | The Arts Council of England | 1036733 | £843.1m |
| 6 | United Learning Ltd | 313999 | £790.0m |
| 7 | The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty | 205846 | £766.2m |
| 8 | Cancer Research UK | 1089464 | £734.8m |
| 9 | Lloyd's Register Foundation | 1145988 | £691.7m |
| 10 | Cardiff University | 1136855 | £634.1m |
The largest 9,321 charities, every one with an income of £1.0m or more.