Facts and Figures

The 2006 State of the Region Report has revealed the following key intelligence:

Business

Economic growth in the North East exceeded the national average in 2001 and 2003 and is outperforming European averages

• The dominant sectors of the North East economy are manufacturing, business services and the public sector
• The North East has a much lower number of businesses per 10,000 population than the national average
• Business survival rates have improved significantly in the North East in recent years, and the level of entrepreneurialism has grown

People

About 2.5 million people live in the North East

• Broadly, the population is ageing, and there is a relatively low proportion of people from black and minority ethnic groups
• The rate of employment is lower than the national average, although the gap has narrowed in recent years. The employment rate is above the European average
• The North East has the highest proportion of workless households of any UK region
• There is a smaller proportion of highly qualified people in the North East than nationally, but there are also fewer skills shortages
• Since 2000, the gap in attainment of five or more good GCSE results between the North East and the national average has halved
• Life expectancy in the North East is lower than the national average, reflecting higher levels of illness and of smoking

Place

House prices in the North East are substantially lower than the national average, although the gap has narrowed in recent years

• People in the North East travel less far each year than the national average and have shorter journey-to-work times
• Crime levels are similar to the national average, but fear of crime is slightly lower
• A smaller proportion of waste is recycled in the North East than nationally
• The quality of river water is better in the North East than nationally
• There are more concentrations of deprivation in the North East than in any other English region

The latest quarterly economic analysis of the region is available by accessing the North East Regional Information Partnership (NERIP) website.