The Outer Hebrides has the highest number of company founders aged over 60
A study by virtual-office provider, Virtual HQ, has revealed that the Outer Hebrides has the highest share of company founders aged over 60 in the UK.
Virtual HQ analysed every company incorporated in the UK over the 12 months to July 2026, together with the recorded date of birth of every director appointed at incorporation – 474,121 companies and 583,861 founders in total.
Each of the UK's 360 local authorities was then ranked on the share of its founders aged over 60 and the share aged under 25, including the 32 ranked local authorities in Scotland.
In the Outer Hebrides, 25 of the 144 directors appointed to new companies over the year were over 60 – at 17.4 per cent, the highest share recorded anywhere in the UK and almost three times the national figure of 5.9 per cent. Its median founder age is 43.5, 4.5 years above the UK median of 39.
Across the rankings for Scotland, the Orkney Islands were in second place, with 13.2 per cent over 60; followed by Argyll and Bute (11.9 per cent); Dumfries and Galloway (11.3 per cent); and South Ayrshire (10.2 per cent).
The study also looked at where the youngest founders could be found, and found that in Scotland, Glasgow City and the Shetland Islands shared the top spot, on 10.8 per cent, with 628 of 5,811 founders under 25 in Glasgow City and 17 of 157 in the Shetlands.
Andrew Manning, Virtual HQ managing director, emphasised the importance of setting up a service address when establishing a limited company:
"Setting up a limited company has never been quicker or cheaper. For anyone setting up a business it's important to remember that incorporating puts you on a public register.
“Every director has to provide a service address that anyone can look up. It is one of the easiest things to get right at the start and one of the most awkward to unpick later, so it is worth a few minutes' thought before the application goes in."
Pictured: Andrew Manning, Virtual HQ managing director
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