Aberdeen has been ranked as one of the UK's most competitive cities

Growth Factors

• Aberdeen City and Shire's GDP is estimated at over £11.4billion - 17% of the overall Scottish GDP
• One of the lowest unemployment rates in Scotland at 2.3% - significantly lower than the Scottish and UK averages
• Aberdeen's employment rate (77.9%) increased by 2.4% from 2011 to 2012, making it the 2nd highest UK city for employment rate
• Aberdeen is one of the top cities for highest earnings growth in 2012
• GVA per head of population is £28,731 - 38% above the Scottish average
• Highest rates of domestic broadband uptake - 74%

 Aberdeen is the centre of the UK's oil and gas industry which has extracted 40 billion barrels of North Sea oil

Energy - Our Future

• Europe's Energy Capital - home to 900+ energy companies resulting in up to 40,000 related jobs
• Approximately 24 billion barrels of oil are still to be recovered
• The Energetica 30mile corridor aims to create the world's greatest concentration of energy technology companies, housing and leisure facilities between Aberdeen and Peterhead
• Held in Aberdeen every two years, Offshore Europe is the largest upstream oil and gas event outside North America, attracting over 48,000 oil and gas professionals and more than 1,497 exhibitors
• Oil and Gas contributes 25% to the UK Treasury's Corporation Tax
• Aberdeen has the greatest concentration of subsea engineering and operational experience in the world
• The University of Aberdeen's Oceanlab is the first purpose-built ocean LANDER laboratory in the world
• Europe's leading centre for hyperbaric testing, training and research is located in Aberdeen
• The Robert Gordon University launched the UK's first degree in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

The Aberdeen Hydrogen Bus Project will see up to 10 hydrogen fuel cell buses operated within the City

Connectivity

• Aberdeen International Airport handles 3.1million passengers every year and has business connections with over 40 UK and European destinations
• Aberdeen International Airport's investment and economic contribution for the next ten years will total £57million. Recent developments have included the 124m runway extension and a £5million parking deck
• Aberdeen has Europe's busiest commercial heliport
• Aberdeen Harbour dealt with 4.76 million tonnes of imports and exports, producing a turnover of £24.07million
• The harbour contributes £420million to the local economy and provides 11,000 jobs
• A £65million development strategy by Aberdeen Harbour Board is currently underway to improve the port
• The Hydrogen Bus project will be the first deployment in Scotland and the largest fleet of hydrogen buses in a European city
• Running 10 hydrogen fuel cell buses in Aberdeen on the proposed routes could potentially save up to 1 tonne of CO2 per year - This could equate to the size of 4 baby elephants!
• The Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) is a new route being developed to improve traffic flow in and around Aberdeen and the North-East of Scotland. It is due for completion in 2018