For the seventh consecutive year, Scotland has reinforced its position as the most attractive location for inward investment in the UK outside of London according to this year's EY Attractiveness Survey. More overseas companies are investing in Scotland than ever before and growth of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is outpacing the rest of the UK too.
The EY Attractiveness Survey examines the performance of Scotland and the perceptions of the UK and Europe as destinations for FDI. This year’s report included a survey of 800 international investors looking at the impact of COVID-19 on investment - proving Scotland's ability to successfully compete for investment, even in times of economic uncertainty.
Global initiatives like ‘Scotland Is Now', designed to reinforce Scotland’s reputation as a place to live, work, study, visit and invest in, continue to reach their target audiences and it’s likely they are also contributing to Scotland’s strong performance in attracting new first-time inward investors, where market share has increased.
"Scotland has yet again achieved an impressive performance on FDI in 2019. The pace and scale of growth achieved is evidence of Scotland being well-placed to tackle the challenges presented by COVID-19 and an uncertain economic environment".
Likewise, the continued presence of Edinburgh, Glasgow - which made an impressive jump up to 3rd in the list - and Aberdeen in the top ten cities outside of London for foreign direct investment is heartening, as is the positive performance of towns across much of the country. As the report notes, strong business networks across all regions are of growing importance to investors.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, now, -perhaps more than ever - Scotland’s public, private and academic institutions must continue to build on the country’s reputation and international connections to attract even more inward investment and consolidate its position as a location of choice for global investors.
Find out more from the EY Survey on SDI.co.uk.