.jpg) Edinburgh, the financial centre of Scotland | |
| Currency | Pound sterling (£) |
|---|---|
| 1 April to 31 March[a] | |
| Statistics | |
| Population | 5,436,600 (2022)[1] |
| GDP | £198.6 billion (onshore only, 2023) £218.0 billion (incl. oil and gas extraction, 2023)[2] |
GDP per capita | £36,175 (onshore only, 2023) £39,707 (incl. oil and gas extraction, 2023)[2] |
| 33 (2020–2023)[3] | |
Labour force | 2,613,000 / 73.1% in employment (Jan–Mar 2024)[b][4] |
Labour force by occupation | List
|
| Unemployment | 120,000 / 4.4% (Jan–Mar 2024)[d][4] |
Average gross salary | £702.40 per week (2023)[e][4] |
| External | |
| Exports | £50.1 billion (2021)[f][5] |
Export goods | |
Main export partners | List |
| Imports | £29.2 billion (2021)[f][5] |
Import goods | |
Main import partners | |
The economy of Scotland is an open mixed economy, mainly services based, which is the second largest economy amongst the countries of the United Kingdom. It had an estimated nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of £218.0 billion in 2023, including oil and gas extraction in the country's continental shelf region.[2] Since the Acts of Union 1707, Scotland's economy has been closely aligned with the economy of the rest of the United Kingdom (UK), and England has historically been its main trading partner. Scotland conducts the majority of its trade within the UK: in 2017, Scotland's exports totalled £81.4 billion, of which £48.9 billion (60%) was within the UK, £14.9 billion with the European Union (EU), and £17.6 billion with other parts of the world. Scotland's imports meanwhile totalled £94.4 billion including intra-UK trade leaving Scotland with a trade deficit of £10.4 billion in 2017.
Scotland was one of the industrial powerhouses of Europe from the time of the Industrial Revolution onwards, being a world leader in manufacturing.[7] This left a legacy in the diversity of goods and services which Scotland produces, from textiles, whisky and shortbread to buses, computer software, ships, avionics and microelectronics, as well as banking, insurance, investment management and other related financial services. In common with most other advanced industrialised economies, Scotland has seen a decline in the importance of both manufacturing industries and primary-based extractive industries. This has, however, been combined with a rise in the service sector of the economy, which has grown to be the largest sector in Scotland.
The governments which involve themselves in Scotland's economy are largely the central UK Government (responsible for reserved matters via HM Treasury) and the Scottish Government (responsible for devolved matters). Their respective financial functions are headed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance. Since 1979, management of the UK economy (including Scotland) has followed a broadly laissez-faire approach.[8][9][10][11][12][13] The Bank of England is Scotland's central bank and its Monetary Policy Committee is responsible for setting interest rates. The currency of Scotland, as part of the United Kingdom, is the Pound sterling, which is also the world's fourth-largest reserve currency after the US dollar, the euro and Japanese yen.[14]
As one of the countries of the United Kingdom, Scotland is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the G7, the G20, the International Monetary Fund, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the United Nations.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Scotland's Census 2022 - Rounded population estimates". 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ a b c "GDP Quarterly National Accounts, Scotland: 2023 Quarter 4 (October to December)" (PDF). gov.scot. Scottish Government. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2020-23". Scottish Government. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Labour Market Profile - Scotland". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ a b Tuck, Helen (28 June 2023). "International trade in UK nations, regions and cities: 2021". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d "UK Regional Trade in Goods Statistics". UK Trade Info. HM Revenue and Customs. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ^ BBC (17 October 2012). "Scotland profile". BBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
- ^ "A survey of the liberalisation of public enterprises in the UK since 1979" (PDF). Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- ^ "Acknowledgements" (PDF). Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- ^ Nigel Hawkins (1 November 2010). "Privatization Revisited" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ Alan Griffiths & Stuart Wall (16 July 2011). "Applied Economics" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ Nigel Hawkins (4 April 2008). "Privatization – Reviving the Momentum" (PDF). Adam Smith Institute, London. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ Graeme Hodge (28 October 2011). "Revisiting State and Market through Regulatory Governance: Observations of Privatisation, Partnerships, Politics and Performance" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ^ Chavez-Dreyfuss, Gertrude (1 April 2008). "Global reserves, dollar share up at end of 2007-IMF". Reuters. Archived from the original on 9 January 2009. Retrieved 21 December 2009.