July 08, 2025

Scotland is an Economic Powerhouse 3 - Innovation

In the past, Unionist parties and their media mouthpieces have managed to convince many Scots that Scotland was too wee and too poor to be a successful independent country such as Norway, Denmark, Ireland etc. But Scots are beginning to see through the propaganda and realise that The Union is holding Scotland’s growth and wellbeing back. 

News from the Office for National Statistics that Edinburgh’s economy surpassed London (in GDP per head) has proved that, although it has to be said that overtaking London should not be the limit of ambition. The UK is suffering from the ongoing economic harms of Brexit, which is holding Scotland’s economy back. 

Scotland has a naturally strong economy - even when undermined by the failing UK. Scotland will thrive and do even better when it can make the most of its potential and use that to benefit Scotland’s people.

 

Scotland’s innovations driving the UK economy

 

These strengths are coming through in the figures that show Scotland’s GDP (gross domestic product) per capita is the fastest growing in the UK. 

Since 2007, GDP per person has grown by 10.5 per cent in Scotland compared to 6.3 per cent at a UK level.  GDP per head in Scotland now outstrips almost all of the other areas of the UK, though it is still behind London and the South East.

 

Scotland’s economy set to outstrip the rest of the UK, France and Germany

And the prediction is that this trend is set to continue - with Scotland’s economy set to grow faster than the rest of the UK.

KPMG, one of the “big four” accounting firms, predicted in its latest European Economic Outlook that Scotland would see GDP growth of 1.2% in 2026, compared to 1.1% for the UK as a whole. It predicts Scotland will have the edge over France and Germany too. 

 

Scotland the top foreign direct investment centre, bar London, for ten years

SCOTLAND has been the top destination for foreign direct investment in the UK outside of London for a decade, new research has found. Scotland has also bucked the trend for a slowing of investment

Figures from EY – another of the “big four” accounting firms – showed that in 2024, Scotland attracted about 16 per cent of foreign direct investment into the UK, with Glasgow becoming the most popular Scottish city for the first time. 

EY further reported that 25% of the global investors planning to establish operations in the UK next year expect to choose Scotland. 

 

An independent Scotland would do better

Scotland is not treated as a partner in a union of equals by the UK. It has three per cent of seats in Westminster, where the House of Lords is the biggest house. Most members are appointed for opaque reasons and have little understanding of Scotland’s needs. 

London sucks money and resources from Scotland. It makes policy in areas like international trade deals and immigration without consulting the Scottish government.

The UK has damaged Scotland’s exports with a misguided Brexit that was forced on the Scottish people against their democratic will. 

An independent Scotland would also be able to access EU funding for innovation and research and would be able to embrace freedom of movement, which would boost the hospitality, university, health and agriculture sectors which have all suffered from Brexit. 


An independent Scotland could make policy to suit Scotland’s interests and in a way that means Scotland’s people can benefit from our innovation, resources, and economic strength.Scotland will not just survive, it will thrive as an independent country. 

Support the work of Believe in Scotland and our independence campaign – Join us! Only a non-party-political independence campaign can move independence support to the levels we need to win our independence.