United Kingdom

With a metropolitan area population of 14.6 million, London is one of the world’s great cities. A leading financial, cultural and political center, London accounts for about 22 percent of the UK’s GDP. The UK’s South East, a densely populated, economically powerful area with a population of nearly 9 million, benefits from its proximity to London. The two regions are the UK’s largest and second-largest regional economies.

The Midlands, which consist of the East and West Midlands, two of England’s nine official regions, are important industrial and logistical hubs for the UK. Anchored by large cities, including Birmingham, Leicester and Derby, the Midlands has a population of about 10.4 million. Birmingham, with a population of 1.1 million, is the UK’s second-largest city behind London.