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Edinburgh is now home to 50,000 companies for the first time underlining the strength of its technology sector, according to new figures.

At the end of June, 50,143 companies were registered in the city according to research based on Companies House and Office for National Statistics figures.

The research, conducted by secretarial software specialists Inform Direct, shows that there were 22,931 in the city centre, 4,965 on Leith Walk and 4,323 in Leith.

These positive figures back up recent reports highlighting the Scottish capital as one of Europe’s fastest growing communities of developers and data scientists, which is attracting new technology businesses.

Other figures suggest that the city’s technology sector has increased more than three times the UK average between 2014 and 2017.

In 2017, a total of 6,045 new businesses were formed in Edinburgh, according to official figures.

John Korchak, director of operations at Inform Direct said: “The city of Edinburgh is clearly a supportive environment for new business ventures and successful in attracting technology companies to join its growing cluster.

“Already home to such established names as Craneware, Amazon Development Centre Scotland and Microsoft’s Technology Centre is a powerful draw for other companies and start-ups.

“The city’s world-class universities, including the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics, are also playing a part by providing skilled graduates to enhance the technology sector further.”