Publication - Statistics
Business Insights and Conditions in Scotland (wave 149): 12 February 2026
Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) weighted Scotland data up to survey period 19 January to 1 Febnuary 2026 (Wave 149). The BICS provides statistics on how current conditions are affecting businesses in Scotland, including impact on financial performance, workforce, trade and resilience.
Key points for businesses with 10+ employees and a presence in Scotland:
- in the last 12 months, an estimated 20.3% of businesses had exported goods, services or both; and 31.3% of businesses had imported goods, services or both
- of businesses that have exported in the last 12 months, an estimated 14.1% exported more in December 2025 than December 2024, and 18.9% exported less
- of businesses that have imported in the last 12 months, an estimated 8.9% imported more in December 2025 than December 2024, and 13.8% imported less
- for an estimated 34.8% of exporters the cost of exporting increased in December 2025 compared with December 2024; with 28.1% of importers reporting an increase in the cost of importing over this period
- an estimated 11.0% of businesses were impacted by US tariffs in the last month, with this share rising to 22.5% for goods exporters
Note that the next BICS Scotland publication, with data to Wave 150, is scheduled for release on Thursday 26 February 2026.
Contact
For enquiries about this publication please contact:
Marina Curran
Business & Innovation Statistics
Office of the Chief Economic Adviser
email: industrystatistics@gov.scot
For general enquiries about Scottish Government statistics please contact:
Office of the Chief Statistician
email: statistics.enquiries@gov.scot