Paris Region: Key Figures 2013

Located at the crossroads of European and world exchanges, the Paris Region is France’s number one economic region and one of the top at European level. Made up of 8 departments and 1,281 towns, it has a population of 11.9 million (19% of the population of mainland France), younger than the national average.

Numerous assets

• Its GDP represents approximately 30% of national wealth and almost 5% of the European Union’s GDP, ahead of Greater London and Lombardy.
• Its strong industrial tradition is characterised by a dense fabric of SMEs and SMIs operating in a wide range of sectors. It unites a high density of technology-based businesses (from large groups to SMEs and start-ups), internationally renowned competitiveness clusters and one of the highest concentrations of scientific and technological businesses in Europe.
• As Europe’s number one employment area, its workforce is highly qualified: 37% of French managers. The Paris Region is home to 21% of French universities and almost a quarter of engineering schools (independent of universities) as well as marketing, management and accounting schools.
• To increase its attractiveness, the region has developed major infrastructure. The Paris air “hub” is the largest in continental Europe: the majority of large European cities can be reached in less than two hours’ flight. With 70 ports spread over 500 km of inland waterways, the region is also Europe’s second largest waterway hub.
• Its high-speed communication networks enable businesses to benefit from technological conditions highly favourable to their development.
• Finally, the Paris Region, and Paris in particular as a city of art, history and culture, remain highly attractive to tourists from all over the world. For several years the region has been the world’s top tourist destination. In addition, with over 600,000 sq m of exhibition space, Paris is the European city with the most exhibitors and, alongside Milan, shares the position of world leader in terms of numbers of visitors to international trade shows.

This page is also available in French.