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Scottish cities

Percentage in employment who are self-employed, aged 16-64, Scottish cities and Scotland, 2023
Chart showing rates of self-employment in Scottish cities in 2023.In 2023, the percentage of people who were self-employed in Glasgow (5.4%) was lower than the Scottish average (7.8%). The highest rate shown here was in Edinburgh (7.9%), and the lowest was in Aberdeen (4.1%). The proportion of people who are self-employed has reduced in all the selected cities and in Scotland in recent years.

Notes

The definition of employment is anyone (aged 16 or over) who does at least one hour’s paid work in the week prior to their interview, or has a job that they are temporarily away from (e.g. on holiday). Also included are people who do unpaid work in a family business and people on government supported employment training schemes, in line with ILO definitions.

The headline employment rate is the proportion of the working-age population who are in employment. The working-age population comprises men aged 16-64 and women aged 16-59 and therefore takes account of the school-leaving age but does not align completely with the state pension age which is in the process of change and rising.

This page was updated in January 2025.

Further reading under ‘Self-employment’