This report, produced by the UK’s innovation foundation Nesta in collaboration with the UK technology company Sage, is a data-led guide to the state of SMEs in the UK. They break down the SME landscape, looking at factors such as productivity, rates of growth, and business churn to provide a view of how small business is faring in towns, cities, and rural areas across the UK. Their analysis then seeks to identify some of the environmental factors that support or hinder the strength of the UK’s SMEs at a local level, from skills to infrastructure.

Key findings include:

29% more SMEs are trading than before the financial crisis.

SMEs have created 73 percent of net new jobs since the recession.

Firms in the most productive part of the UK are 26 times more productive than those in the last.