Trends in Rural Scotland: a working paper (2025)

6. Economy and Digital

Regional Gross Value Added (GVA) by urban / rural classification

Islands and Remote and Mainly Rural areas of Scotland accounted for £42 billion, or 25% of the Scottish GVA in 2022 with only 3% of this produced in Island and Remote Rural areas. GVA was highest in Larger Cities (42%) in 2022 followed by Urban with Substantial Rural Areas (32%).

In the past ten years, between 2012 and 2022, GVA has increased at a slower rate in Islands and Remote areas (23%) than it did elsewhere in Scotland ( the national growth rate was 39%). GVA fell across Scotland in 2019-2020 following EU-exit and the Covid-19 pandemic and then recovered. The rate of growth in GVA between 2021-22 continued to be lowest in Islands and Remote Rural areas (6%) and highest in Larger cities (11%) whilst the rate of growth in Mainly rural and Urban with substantial rural was the same (8%).

Residential fixed broadband coverage by service type/download speeds

There is a gap between urban and rural provision of fixed broadband, but that gap is narrowing. Almost all homes in Scotland can get some fixed broadband access, and the percentage of quality broadband access is increasing over time. However, the speed and quality, in particular the incidence of newer services like gigabit capable broadband, is consistently lower in rural areas. In 2024 the percentage of residencies with fixed superfast broadband access in urban areas was 99% compared to 83% in rural areas, while the percentage of residencies with access to gigabit capable broadband had an even greater difference, with 85% in urban areas and 43% in rural areas. Importantly there is a higher rate of improvement in broadband quality across time in rural areas.

4G geographic coverage

The percentage of 4G geographic coverage by at least on Mobile Network Operator is lower in rural areas than urban areas as of 2024 (89% compared to 100%). However, this gap is narrowing – rural coverage increased from 84% in 2023, to 89% in 2024. Mobile voice services from all four Mobile Network Operators are now available across 69% of Scotland's geography, compared to 61% in 2023. This reflects an increase of eight percentage points, to 68%, in rural coverage, while urban coverage remains at 99%.

Percentage of households with home internet access in 2023

The proportion of households in Scotland with home internet (i.e. those who take up a service) remained at a record high of 91 per cent in 2023, with no significant difference between households in urban and rural areas.