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Published by The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body
Scotland's Business Base - Facts and Figures
Author: Alison O'Connor
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Published: Friday 01 Sep 2017 (17/58)
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Executive Summary
Scotland's business count has shown an upward trend and is at its second highest stock figure in the series since 2000. Although the growth rate of the UK's business base has generally surpassed that of Scotland.
The performance of business stock varied by sector, with Growth Sectors growing at a much more accelerated rate than other sectors. The sector structure of the economy has changed subtly.
The majority of Scottish enterprises have no employees. Yet Scotland has a different business stock make-up to the UK as a whole, with a higher rate of medium and large businesses.
Scotland had the fourth lowest enterprise birth rate and fifth highest enterprise death rate of the 12 UK regions.
Large businesses made-up 0.6% of the business base and generated 60% of all turnover. Scotland's average GVA per enterprise was £731,400 (above the UK average).
Indigenous enterprises made-up 97% of business stock, the remaining 3% of non-Scottish owned enterprises contributed 35% of employment and 54% of turnover.
It is estimated 7%-16% of Scottish businesses are involved in international trade activity. Scotland had the third fastest growth rate for exporting businesses in Great Britain.
There has been a moderate decline in the number of manufacturing enterprises in Scotland, since 2000. Despite this manufacturing employment numbers have declined significantly.
Edinburgh had the highest share of business stock and Na h-Eileanan Siar the lowest. Every constituency has seen business stock increase since 2010.
Challenges for the business base include subdued investment, constrained by falling real income, weaker consumer outlook, currency depreciation and uncertainty about future relationships with the EU.
Introduction
Useful definitions
Total volume and trends over time
Total business base volume
Business base trends over time
Business base performance relative to the UK
Business base by sector
Sector overview
Sector changes over time
Sector intensity
Growth sectors
Growth sector contribution to business base
Business base by size, employment and legal status
Size and employment structure
Sectors by size
Legal status
Birth, death and survival rates
Business births and deaths
Survival rates
Turnover, GVA, and investment
Business turnover profile
GVA and the business base
Investment
Companies by ownership
Ownership overview
Ownership by sector
Abroad-owned insights
Business base and internationalisation
Trading internationally
Exporting insights
Exports by sector
Exports by company size
Manufacturing in the business base
Manufacturing sub-sectors
Manufacturing over time
Size of manufacturing enterprises
Manufacturing exports
Business base by local geography
Volume and trends by local authority
Local authority business density
Sector highlights by local authority
Business base by constituency
Urban-rural dimension
Key challenges for Scotland's business base
Challenges - view from SMEs
Wider economy challenges for businesses
Sources
Image: Figure 1: Number of enterprises (registered and unregistered) in Scotland 2000-2016
Image: Figure 2: Number of enterprises in Scotland 2000 to 2016 - growth trends
Image: Figure 3: Business base growth UK & Scotland index 2000 to 2016 (base year = 2000)
Image: Figure 4: Number of businesses (registered and unregistered) per 10,000 resident adults (aged 16 and over), by UK region / country, 2016
Image: Figure 5: Sector structure of business base 2000-2009 and 2010-2016
Image: Figure 6: Scotland industry intensity relative to UK average (2016)
Image: Figure 7: Business base by selected sector (2016) - Scotland, UK, England, Wales, & Northern Ireland
Image: Figure 8: Business base growth index (2008=100) - 2008 to 2016
Image: Figure 9: Regional business size summary 2016
Image: Figure 10: Business base - sectors by sizeband 2016
Image: Figure 11: Scotland birth and death rate trends - 2010 to 2015
Image: Figure 12: Business birth and death rates by UK average and regions 2015
Image: Figure 13: Survival rates by UK average and regions
Image: Figure 14: Businesses by sizeband and turnover (registered and unregistered) 2016
Image: Figure 15: Business investment element of gross fixed capital formation index: 1998 -2016 (current prices)
Image: Figure 16: Enterprises, employment, and turnover by country of ownership (2016)
Image: Figure 17: Enterprises, employment, turnover by country of ownership and size-band (2016)
Image: Figure 18: Registered enterprises (% of enterprises) - country of ownership by sector (2016)
Image: Figure 19: Percentage of employment in registered enterprises by country of ownership and sector (2016)
Image: Figure 20: No. of non-financial businesses trading internationally 2011-2015
Image: Figure 21: Manufacturing enterprise and employment indices - 2000 to 2016
Image: Figure 22: Manufacturing enterprises by sizeband 2016
Image: Figure 23: Manufacturing export growth (relative to services and total exports) 2002 - 2015 (combined international and rest of UK export value)
Image: Figure 24: Number of businesses (registered) per 10,000 resident adults (aged 16 and over), by local authority, 2016
Image: Figure 25: Enterprises, employment, and population by urban rural split (2016)
Image: Figure 26: Major obstacles to the success of the business: top 10 answers
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