Number of private sector businesses in Scotland rises to record 356,550

The Businesses in Scotland 2019 report shows that the estimated number of businesses increase by 2.8% between March 2018 and March 2019.

That increase was driven by a 4.3% (7,270) rise in the number of unregistered businesses (those not registered for VAT and/or PAYE), which increased from 170,500 in March 2018 to 177,770 in March 2019.

The number of registered businesses also increased during that period - up by 2,485 businesses (1.4%) from 176,295 to 178,780 – also the highest since current records began.

In the same period there were 354,125 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) operating in Scotland, providing an estimated 1.2 million jobs. SMEs accounted for 99.3% of all private sector businesses, 55.4% of private sector employment, and 41.5% of private sector turnover.