Paris Region Key Figures - 2007

The IAURIF, the CRCI Paris - Ile-de-France, the Paris Region Development Agency (PREDA), and the INSEE carried out the 2007 edition of the document which presents, with tables, maps and graphs, the main economic and social characteristics of the Paris Ile-de-France region.

> The Paris Ile-de-france region in the European Union

Île-de-France is the French name for the Paris region, including the urban core and the commuting field around it. A world-ranked European region, Paris Île-de-France region has all the human, geographical, technological and cultural advantages it needs to ensure a successful future in European business. The Île-de-France is one of the world's most innovative and wealth-creating economic regions. It represents 4.5% of the GDP of the European Union, with GDP per inhabitant of €42,712, higher than that of the European Union as a whole or the United States.

This is a metropolitan region of 11.3 million inhabitants at the heart of a European market of 450 million consumers. It boasts a highly skilled population, with those employed in executive or higher professional positions representing 26.5% of the working population. The Paris region is also home to 17 universities and world-renowned elite grandes écoles in the areas of engineering, business and management, which together train 560,000 students a year.

It is also home to 134,550 researchers, with €14.3 billion devoted to R&D every year. Moving around the region is quick and easy, thanks to its dense modern infrastructure, one of the best passenger and freight networks in the world (16 metro lines and 300 stations, 5 RER suburban railway lines, 15,100 taxis and 2,100 km of trunk roads and motorways). The region is also remarkably well equipped in terms of broadband telecommunications networks, with "Quadruple Play" offers that are unparalleled in Europe. Its expertise in financial services is well recognised, both for its financial institutions and the Euronext Paris-NYSE stock exchange. Finally, Paris is the world's leading city for conferences and trade fairs, welcoming over 11.3 million business visitors annually, and its favourite tourist destination, with 42 million visitors every year.

The Paris Region's economy works within a highly international framework, and the region is home, for example, to as many foreign companies as London. Foreign groups provide 542,000 jobs in the Paris Region, compared with 516,000 in London. In 2005, according to Ernst&Young, the Paris Region was home to more international companies than Greater London. Foreign executives (64,500 managers, 57% of whom come from OECD countries) and the region's 10,000 researchers and international doctoral students find all the resources they need here to fulfil their ambitions.

Among the 17 world-ranked competitiveness clusters, those in the Paris Region have a clear focus on the industries of the future: System@tic (complex systems), Cap Digital (digital technology and applications), Medicen (health), Mov’eo (the automotive industry) and financial services. The national Ville et Mobilité Durable (VMD - Sustainable City and Mobility) cluster targets some high-potential areas (environmental technologies and sustainable development). The public authorities (central government, the Paris Region and local authorities) have increased their support for these sectors of excellence, in particular through increased funding for research activities, greater international visibility and the development of international partnerships.

Finally, the Paris Region has Europe's largest stock of business property, with a total of 49 million sq.m. of office space (ahead of London, with 43 million sq.m.), 30 million sq.m. of business premises and 28 million sq.m. of warehousing. The size of the property market, and the numerous different types of facilities on offer, means that all kinds of business activities can be accommodated, from industrial production to head offices, as well as R&D, call centres and logistics functions.

The Paris Île-de-France regional Chamber of Commerce, the Institute for Urban Planning and Development of the Paris Île-de-France Region and the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies have published this brochure of statistics and maps relating to the Paris region for two purposes: first, to enable readers to place the Paris Ile-de-France region accurately within its European and French environment; and second, to find detailed information useful to their research into locating or investing in the Paris Île-de-France region. The Paris region Economic Development Agency can provide you with more information on its website (paris-region.com) and, above all, help you to locate and develop your business in the Paris Île-de-France region.
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