Self-Employment: Scotland vs Wales
Comparing self-employment in Scotland and Wales using official ONS figures. In 2019, 329,604 people were self-employed in Scotland (12.4% of the workforce) versus 210,711 in Wales (14.5%). Wales has the higher self-employment rate, by 2.1%.
Quick answer
Side by side
| Measure | Scotland | Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Self-employed people | 329,604 | 210,711 |
| Self-employment rate | 12.4% | 14.5% |
| Rank by rate (of 12) | 12th | 6th |
| Rank by number (of 12) | 8th | 10th |
| Reference period | 2019 | 2019 |
Ranks are across all 12 UK statistical regions. The self-employed count and rate are the latest ONS regional figures (2019); the national rate is from ONS EMP14 (Jan-Mar 2026) and is not directly comparable to the regional counts.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has a higher self-employment rate, Scotland or Wales?
- Wales has the higher self-employment rate: 14.5% vs 12.4% — a gap of 2.1%. Source: ONS Annual Population Survey (2019).
- How many people are self-employed in Scotland and Wales?
- 329,604 people are self-employed in Scotland and 210,711 in Wales (ONS, 2019). That is a difference of 118,893 people, with Scotland having more.
- How do Scotland and Wales rank in the UK for self-employment?
- Out of the 12 UK regions, Scotland ranks 12th by self-employment rate and Wales ranks 6th. Both are measured against the UK-wide rate of 13.4% (Jan-Mar 2026).
- Is self-employment growing faster in Scotland or Wales?
- The ONS regional breakdown reports a point-in-time count and rate for 2019, not a growth rate, so a like-for-like growth comparison is not available from this dataset. What it does show is that Wales has the higher self-employment rate of the two (14.5%).
Related comparisons
Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS), Self-employment by NUTS1 (region) (2019, released 2020-04-17). Survey source: Annual Population Survey (regional, 2018-based weights) / Labour Force Survey (national). Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Data accessed and verified 2026-06-27.