An Introduction to Scotland’s Rural Economy
The value of Scotland’s rural economy is comparable to Glasgow + Edinburgh combined
What does Scotland’s rural economy look like?
At GrowBiz, we know that economic activity across Scotland’s non-urban areas accounts for approximately one 3rd of Scotlands overall economy annually. We also know that the rural economy is comprised of a colourful tapestry of business types spanning every sector from the arts to tourism, from care and wellbeing to climate literacy, from food and drink to construction, from energy to tech. We also know that small businesses, particularly micro-businesses, and self-employment are more abundant in our rural areas than in urban areas.
And that these businesses are innovative and passionate about their location and frequently work collaboratively to develop economically resilient and sustainable businesses.
But none of this is widely known.
We make it our work to educate and change the long-held connotations surrounding the world ‘rural’. There is a perception that ‘rural’ equates to a lack of opportunity for sectors outside of traditional agriculture and land-based industries. These out dated perceptions must be replaced with an awareness of the diversity, innovation and sheer creativity of enterprise beyond Scotland’s city limits.
The wider impact of a prosperous rural economy for Scotland
In addition to tackling a lack of awareness surrounding how Scotland’s rural economy is comprised, we are dedicated to advocating the value of supporting economic development to thrive in Scotland’s rural areas. Every business that operates in a rural area of Scotland brings wider opportunities to the surrounding area and community, that may be directly through jobs and income or indirectly through associated economic activity or tourism. The ripple effect created by just one organisation and the positive impacts felt by the local community can make a huge difference.
Take a look at the numbers
Take a look at the spread of sectors
Below is a breakdown of the 1,595 businesses that GrowBiz supported in 2020/21 in rural Perth & Kinross organised by sector.
Meet the people behind Scotland’s rural economy
Please take a look at our selection of client stories to find out more about the breadth of business types that we work with.
Client Stories
