Scotland's Marine Economic Statistics 2023
Statistics on the economic contributions of Scotland’s marine sectors. Includes a time series of approximate Gross Value Added (aGVA), turnover and employment for industrial categories defined as part of the marine sector.
Part of
This sector includes both passenger and freight water transport. Inland water transport is not included. Sea and coastal water transport is an essential part of Scotland's transport network. It is key for connectivity and supports island and mainland communities. Travel in Scotland in 2020 was significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Scottish Annual Business Statistics provides the economic and employment data. See Data and Methodology for more information.
Supplementary information comes from the Scottish Transport Statistics publication, and the Department of Transport statistics.
Passenger water transport: key points
In 2023, passenger water transport generated £131 million in aGVA, 0.07% of Scottish and 2% of marine economy aGVA. Passenger water transport employed 1,300 people, 0.05% of Scottish employment and 2% of marine economy employment.
From 2022 to 2023, the aGVA from passenger water transport decreased by 12%. The longer term aGVA trend fluctuated by year, but decreased by 19% from 2014 to 2023. From 2014 to 2023, employment decreased by 28%.
Transport Scotland report passenger journeys by operator rather than location. In 2023, around 45% of the passenger journeys were on the Caledonian MacBrayne services in the West of Scotland. These services travel between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west coast.
Freight water transport: key points
In 2023, freight water transport generated £149 million aGVA, 0.08% of Scottish and 3% of marine economy aGVA. Freight water transport employed 500 people, 0.02% of Scottish employment and 1% of marine economy employment.
From 2022 to 2023, freight water transport aGVA rose by 39%. In the longer term, from 2014 to 2023, aGVA increased by 39%. This is a small sector so the figures can fluctuate from one year to the next.
Transport Scotland report by freight traffic by port. The highest freight traffic in 2023 was through Forth ports. This accounted for 36% of tonnage through the top 11 ports.