Yorkshire and Humberside has a £58bn regional economy that includes the highest concentration of publicly quoted companies outside the southeast of England. More than 1,500 overseas companies, including 40 of the world’s 200 largest industrial groups, have a base in the area and employ some 130,000 people.
The region’s exports are among the highest in the country and it has the largest financial and legal centre outside London. The strength of its economy lies in its diversity, the availability of large local markets – its population is equivalent to that of Scotland or Denmark – and ready access to large foreign markets, including the 370 million potential customers in Europe.
