UK-based buyouts accounted for almost half of the value of all private equity deal activity in Europe in 2012, according to data provider Dealogic.

Deals in the UK represented 44% of the value of private equity buyouts in the year to December 21, compared to 27% in the whole of 2011, with 190 transactions worth a combined $23.6bn over the period. Germany ranked second with 80 deals worth $8.9bn, a 17% market share.