Some 360 pubs are expected to shutter by the end of 2026, putting the sector on course to surpass last year’s net figure of 336 closures.
As of the end of September, 295 pubs had already shut permanently this year, according to trade body.
The scale of the closures is expected to cause 5,000 job losses across the year, with more than half of them expected to have been held by under-25s.
The BBPA warns rising taxes and regulatory costs remain at the heart of many closures, pointing out measures announced in the November 2025 budget added £322m in costs for pubs and brewers.
England accounted for the bulk of the closures recorded so far in 2026, with 226 pubs closing over the period. Scotland lost 64 pubs, while five closed in Wales.
Within England, the south east and north west were hardest hit, accounting for 42 and 39 closures respectively.
The trade body estimates each pub contributes about £200,000 a year to the Treasury through taxes. As a result, the BBPA says pub closures this year could cost the government almost £72m in lost tax revenues.
“When a local closes, the damage is felt far and wide,” says Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the BBPA.
“It’s not just workers, communities, our heritage and high streets who lose out when a pub closes – the Treasury loses, on average, £200,000 in tax receipts every time a local calls last orders.
“The Prime Minister has pledged that the cavalry is coming, which is why we’re asking government to tackle the root of the problem through a permanently fair and sustainable rates burden, freezing beer duty, increasing draught relief and reviewing employment costs for under-25s.
“This will mean we can carry on keeping people in jobs, boosting the economy, and being at the heart of communities.”