Small Business Survey Scotland: 2024-2025

Business demographics

Location

• 65 per cent of SME employers were urban-based while 35 per cent were rural-based. Urban/rural locations are based on the Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification 2020
• 29 per cent of SME employers were home-based and without external business premises

Women led, minority ethnic group (MEG) led, led by someone with a disability and family led businesses

• 16 per cent of SME employers were women-led in 2024-2025 (business with the majority of the combined total number of owners, partners and directors being female), which is a decrease from 20 per cent in 2023-2024
• 26 per cent were equally led by both men and women and 10 per cent had women in the minority. 41 per cent were entirely male-led
• 3 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)
• 1 per cent were led by a disabled person or people (defined as a business with the majority of the combined total number of owners, partners and directors having a disability) (this is a new question for this report)
• 72 per cent of SME employers were majority family-owned