Business Demography - Survival
type: Dataset
theme: Business, Enterprise and Energy
timeliness: It is the aim to publish statistics on business births, deaths and survival rates for Scotland and Scottish Local Authority Areas as soon as possible after the release of the Office for National Statistics' Business Demography, which are due out each November.
validity: Business Demography data is produced from an extract taken from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) recording the position of active units over a year. This has been measured from a single point in December one year to a single point in December the following year. For data up to and including 2015, the reference period measured from a specific date in November to the same date in November the following year.
accuracy: For information on quality measures, please see [Business Demography, UK: 2024](https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/businessdemography/2024).
consistency: Data can be compared between different industries, local authority areas and to look at trends over time. For comparisons with other UK regions, please see [Business Demography, UK: 2024](https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/businessdemography/2024).
uniqueness: Not assessed
completeness: For other tables, commentary and more methodology please see [Business Demography, UK: 2024](https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/businessdemography/2024).
comment: Number and rate (percent) of VAT/PAYE business survival.
update frequency: annual
license id: uk-ogl
confidentiality: Any cell which is blank contains confidential data. This is data which has been withheld from publication in order that no information relating to an individual business is disclosed. Caution should therefore be exercised if summary data is calculated; it may include blank cells in which case it will not be a true representation of industry or area totals.
quality management: For information on quality management, please see [Business Demography, UK: 2024](https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/businessdemography/2024).
geographical coverage: S12
geographical coverage: S92
will be updated: true
reference period: PeriodOfTime
  start date: 2004
  end date: 2023
next update: 2027-03-01
description: One-, two-, three-, four- and five-year survival of newly born businesses are produced by the Office for National Statistics within their Business Demography publication. Data are based on registrations and de-registrations for VAT and PAYE. All one-, two-, three-, four- and five- year survival figures are currently available for businesses born in 2004 onwards. The n-year survival percent rate for year X (e.g. 2004) is based on businesses born in year X (e.g. 2004) and still active in year X + n (e.g. 2007 for the 3-year survival rate). Please note that there has been a change in the reference period for these data from 2016 onwards. The Business Demography publication reference period records the number of active businesses over a period of a year. Up to 2016, this was measured from a single point in November in one year to a single point in November in the following year. For example, the 2015 publication measured the number of active businesses taken from a specific date in November 2014 to the same date in November 2015. From 2016 onwards, the reference period moved to December. This has helped bring the reference period closer to the calendar year, as recommended by the joint Eurostat and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) manual on business demography. Please note that there has been an improvement made to these data. For the years 2016 to 2021, businesses that have neither VAT nor PAYE but do have a live company number have been removed from the figures. They have been removed because they may misrepresent business birth and death figures. ONS create these enterprises on the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) in order to monitor them, usually because they help to give the full picture on the enterprise group. Often these businesses do not have employment or turnover, but have some role in the enterprise group, perhaps as the parent of the group. This is in line with the vast majority of ONS business surveys which also excl…
version notes: Data is compiled from an extract taken from the Inter-Departmental Business Register recording the position of units at December of the reference year. The normal policy is that the latest two years' estimates would be subject to revision, and revisions would be made in the following year's publication.
issued: 2026-08-13T13:17:53.687333
modified: 2026-08-13T13:19:13.954318
contact point: Organization
contact point: Kind

Business, Enterprise and Energy
type: Concept

Scottish Government
type: Agent

business-demography---survival.csv
type: Distribution
comment: Number and rate (percent) of VAT/PAYE business survival.
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyCode
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyName
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: GeographyType
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: DateCode
  type: int
dictionary: Column
  column: Measurement
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Units
  type: text
dictionary: Column
  column: Value
  type: float
dictionary: Column
  column: Business Demography
  type: text
table schema: Schema
  column: Column
    name: GeographyCode
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: GeographyName
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: GeographyType
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: DateCode
    datatype: int
  column: Column
    name: Measurement
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: Units
    datatype: text
  column: Column
    name: Value
    datatype: float
  column: Column
    name: Business Demography
    datatype: text
description: Data file for Business Demography - Survival
format: CSV
access URL: https://admin.data.gov.scot/resource/535972a5-f7cd-4363-9eb0-996d7a970d44/download
issued: 2026-08-13T13:19:13.972495
modified: 2026-08-13T13:19:13.963992