Women in Scotland have reached a "landmark moment" in business, with the number of female entrepreneurs matching the number of men for the first time.

A report has found that women were starting and running new businesses at virtually the same rate as men last year.

The global entrepreneurship monitor (GEM), an annual measure of entrepreneurship, found 8.6% of working-age women in Scotland were running or setting up a new business in 2023 compared with 9.8% of men, something the report describes as "statistical parity".

This compares with 7.2% of women and 10.5% of men in 2022.

The report was compiled by the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Strathclyde.

It said that 300,000 people in Scotland were engaged in early-stage entrepreneurial activity in 2023.

The GEM report also stated that one in five new business-owners were non-white. At over 24%, this was the highest level ever recorded.

Despite progress being made in the diversity of Scotland's entrepreneurs, certain issues were holding people back.

The study also found that with 9.1% of its population involved in starting or running new businesses, Scotland scored the lowest of the four home nations.

Wales was top at 11.5%, followed by England with 10.8% and Northern Ireland with 9.7%.

The Scottish government said that people should be given the right support and encouragement, regardless of gender or background, and that the report showed strong entrepreneurial activity in Scotland.