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The Productive Business Index 

Lots of reports give a general indication of SME performance.

Be the Business goes a step further to understand the actions small business leaders are taking to improve the capabilities of their businesses.

Download our latest PBI report

The Productive Business Index focuses on the productivity of micro, small- and medium-sized businesses in the UK

The Productive Business Index (PBI) series tracks changes over time in five key capability areas to understand what actions SMEs are taking to improve their productivity.

A woman with short brown hair and a pink floral blouse holds a copy of the G7 PBI to her chest. She is listening to a woman who has her back to the camera and is shown slightly out of focus.
We launched our G7 Productive Business Index at a special event in Whitehall

Creating the Productive Business Index

We track changes in the five key areas as well as general operating conditions and expectations for the future.

The data we collect is analysed and combined to produce our index:

  • Business performance measures trading conditions

  • Business capabilities assesses activity in the five areas that drive productivity improvements

  • In both performance and capabilities, we assess the current situation, as well as asking about future expectations and plans for improvements

  • These are combined to produce assessments of the overall current and expected situation

  • Finally, these combine to form our overall Productive Business Index figure

Findings from Edition Eight:

Be the Business' eighth edition of the Productive Business Index demonstrates clear potential for a £140bn Gross Value Added uplift over the next three years.

  • Key findings include:

    • SMB leaders are expecting an average 8% rise in sales in each of the next three years, equating to a potential £140 billion GVA growth.

    • 72% of businesses expect revenue increases over the next three months, with 60% have seen rising order volumes in the last three months.

    • 66% of Medium-sized businesses are actively upskilling their people in skills and digital readiness.

    • 75% of SMBs have fairly or very good capabilities in using automation and AI - up from 15% in 2024

    • Younger firms (trading for 5 or fewer years) and owner-managed businesses score highest on the Index