* Part of Eurozone
* GNP growth over last 10 years : 2.1%
(EU average : 2.0%)
* GNP per person : 25,500 €
* Price rise over last 10 years : 1.9%
(EU average : 2.8%)
* Exports : 76% of GD
(EU average 32%)
* Sectors : Primary 2.3%
Secondary 26.3%
Tertiary 71.3%
Brussels economy is mostly oriented towards services and high value-added production.
Brussels is home to some 54.000 companies and exports more than half of its production. The economical actors in Brussels are mainly Small and Medium Enterprises (32.000 SME’s) and International Companies.
They are export-oriented, diverse and successful, often building their business around “quality” and “know-how”. Indeed, the Region has acquired a reputation for the diversity and creativity of many of its companies. They work in the traditional sectors such as transport, construction, the food trade and consumer goods, while sectors such as design, fashion, information technology, the audiovisual and multimedia sectors, scientific research, environment technologies chemistry and health are also well represented.
Service sectors are also of vital importance to the national economy: business and finance activities, lobbying, legal and fiscal services, communication, research departments, etc.
Over 1300 foreign companies are based in Brussels. They are mainly American, French, British, Dutch or German, followed by Japanese and Swedish ones. Most of them are European Head Quarters such as:IBM, TOYOTA, COCA COLA, MICROSOFT, GENERAL ELECTRICS, BASF, SIEMENS, etc.
