Ordnance Survey: Financial services firms help boost sales to new record
Profit at Ordnance Survey has slipped despite its revenue jumping to almost £200m during the historic company’s latest financial year.
The Southampton-headquartered business, which traces its roots back to the reign of George III, has posted a pre-tax profit of £17.6m for the 12 months to 31 March, 2025, down from the £22m it achieved in the prior year.
, however, show Ordnance Survey’s revenue jumped from £186.8m to £194.5m.
The latest total means the company has now posted a record revenue for an eighth consecutive year.
Paper maps sales on the slide
The results come ahead of Ordnance Survey’s chief executive, Nick Bolton, appearing on an up-coming episode of City PM‘s Boardroom Uncovered interview series in September.
In the episode, Bolton opens up about how the company is taking on the competition from the likes of Google and Apple as well as the unique challenges of leading a business which is wholly owned by the government.
The amount of revenue Ordnance Survey generated from direct licences increased in the year from £128.4m to £131.9m while partner licences sales grew from £34.6m to £37.9m.
The amount the company received from Ordnance Survey maps also rose from £9.5m to £11.6m but paper maps revenue dipped from £7.9m to £7.4m.
In a statement released alongside the accounts, the business said its revenue growth was boosted by a growing demand for its data, particularly in the financial services sector.
The firm said the financial services sector is “increasingly relying: on geospatial data which provides information on floodplains, building footprints, building material, number of floors, roof types and proximity to critical infrastructure among others.
Ordnance Survey overcomes ‘challenging economic backdrop’
Ordnance Survey chief Nick Bolton said: “OS is an organisation with over 230 years of history, and we continue to innovate to meet the evolving needs of the nation.
“Over the past year, we’ve focused on enhancing and connecting datasets to unlock deeper insights, supporting everything from housing growth to strengthening environmental resilience.
“This work is helping to build stronger communities and drive economic opportunity across both public and private sectors.
“Despite a challenging economic backdrop, OS has delivered growth, reflecting the increasing demand for trusted location data.
“Today, our data is estimated to be used 42 times a day by every UK adult, underpinning critical services from emergency response to infrastructure planning and financial risk assessment.
“We are now in a strong position to deliver even greater geospatial insight and completely fulfil our role as the National Mapping Authority.”