Publication
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Scotland 2025/2026: The changing entrepreneurial opportunity map in Scotland
Published: 27 October 2026
GEM Scotland 2025/2026: The changing entrepreneurial opportunity map in Scotland
Associated Themes
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Entrepreneurship -
Global Entrepreneurship Monitor ( GEM )
In recent years, nations across the world have had to contend with much uncertainty resulting from multiple global issues, including unending geopolitical tensions, the climate crisis, disruptive technological change, and difficult public finances. Scotland has not been immune to this. The rate of economic growth has remained modest since the initial recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns around the cost of living remain salient
in society, and deep-seated regional inequalities persist. There have also been emerging concerns around chronic economic inactivity, particularly among young people.
Entrepreneurship has traditionally been considered an effective mechanism to help governments and societies address such problems and build towards inclusive economic development and other sustainable outcomes. Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) itself identifies Entrepreneurial People and Culture as the principal Programme of Action towards realising Scotland’s vision to be an all-round wellbeing
economy by 2032. In 2024, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) reported that Scotland hit a significant milestone with nearly one in five working-age Scots found to have been engaging in early-stage or established entrepreneurial activity. Building on this, this report examines data from 2,085 adult respondents surveyed by GEM in 2025 in Scotland, as part of a larger sample of 8,513 respondents in the UK, to highlight emerging evidence
on entrepreneurial attitudes, aspirations and activity in Scotland.
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