Figures show 925 businesses shut out of 9,195 active in the Kingdom last year, giving a closure rate of 10.1 per cent. Fife’s position in the rankings was also driven by having the lowest five-year survival rate among Scotland’s top 10 high-risk areas. The study analysed official Office for National Statistics (ONS) data and ranked local authority areas using a combination of closure rates, long-term survival and the balance between business openings and closures. At the other end of the scale, Shetland Islands was found to have the lowest risk of business closures, with a rate of just 5.7 per cent and the strongest five-year survival rate in Scotland. Heath Alexander-Bew, personal lines director at Alan Boswell Group, said the findings reflect the ongoing strain on local businesses.