Edinburgh: a bright and booming city?

Edinburgh by Numbers: Reasons to be cheerful?

Edinburgh continues to be the most prosperous city outside London and has created more jobs through foreign direct investment than any other major UK city outside London, according to the latest Edinburgh by Numbers.

And the percentage of the Edinburgh workforce with a degree level qualification or equivalent is higher than any other major UK city – and has risen again, from 46% in 2013 up to 55%.

These are just two of the many interesting fascinating facts about our city in the latest Edinburgh by Numbers online document, produced by the City of Edinburgh Council for investors, entrepreneurs and anyone else with an interest in Edinburgh. It also includes sections on people, quality of life, environment, work, social economy, economy and enterprise, tourism, travel and connectivity, and housing.

Some other facts:

• More waste was recycled in Edinburgh from April 2013 to March 2015 than any other major Scottish city.
• Edinburgh has more green flag parks than any other major UK city and has 45% of all the green flag parks in Scotland.
• 4.1 million people visited Edinburgh’s top five museums and galleries in 2015. This was higher than most other cities in the world when compared against population size and geographical area.
• Almost two-thirds (65%) of people in Edinburgh use the internet on the move.

Cllr Gavin Barrie, Convener of the Economy Committee, said: “The facts in the latest edition of Edinburgh by Numbers speak for themselves and show the city has much to be positive about this year. The document is an essential resource for anyone looking to invest in the city or simply looking for key facts and figures about the capital.

“The data is extremely encouraging and shows that the number of people educated to degree level has shot up since 2013. It also further strengthens our reputation as a knowledge based economy, enhancing the attractiveness of Edinburgh for employers to locate or expand their business.

“The figures relating to the economy are strong with the number of jobs created by foreign direct investments continuing to perform better than other major UK cities. Our green credentials are also very good as we have almost half of all the green flag parks in Scotland and our recycling rates were higher than other major Scottish cities.”

“It is great news that 4.1 million people visited Edinburgh’s top five museums and galleries in 2015 and this growing interest in culture in the city was reinforced this week as new figures published show that Edinburgh’s Festivals have a massive economic impact – £280m locally and £313m in Scotland.”

“Our economic and green indicators show we are well placed to adapt to any changes we may have to face in future years in the way we did following the recent economic downturn. We are putting plans in place such as the continued development of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region deal to ensure our continued prosperity in the future.”