Business Demographics In Scotland

19th February 2025

66 per cent of SME employers were urban-based while 34 per cent were rural-based. Urban/rural locations are based on the Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification 2020.

26 per cent of SME employers were home-based and without external business premises.

18 per cent were classified as being social enterprises (based on answers given pertaining to the level of commitment businesses have to causes that are important to them.

20 per cent of SME employers were women-led (defined as a business with the majority of the combined total number of owners, partners and directors being female), while 26 per cent were equally led by both men and women and 8 per cent had women in the minority. Furthermore, 19 per cent of the SMEs were more than half owned by women. 49 per cent were male-led and 41 per cent were entirely male-led.

75 per cent of SME employers were family majority-owned.

7 per cent of SME employers were Minority Ethnic Group (MEG)-led (defined as a business with the majority of the combined total number of owners, partners and directors being of an ethnic minority background)

The above is an extract from the Scottish Government small Business survey published 19 February 2025