Sussex moves up 'prosperous' list

Out of 215 European regions Sussex has jumped 28 places from its last position and has now overtaken other regions such as Madrid, Hannover and Outer London.

The league table is based on figures compiled by Eurostat, the official Statistical Office of the EU, which compares the economic output (GDP per inhabitant) of the European regions.

Sussex Enterprise uses these figures to put together a league table showing the economic performance of Sussex in relation to the rest of the UK and Europe. The latest GDP figure for Sussex is 45bn a year, an increase of 12.5 per cent above the previous year.

Mark Froud, Chief Executive at Sussex Enterprise, said: "This is fantastic news for Sussex businesses. In the past ten years Sussex has jumped from 123rd to 62nd place; an indication that local businesses are outperforming many of our UK and European neighbours.

"Despite the current economic downturn these figures show that Sussex is in an excellent position to continue thriving once we return to economic growth."

Sussex is home to a diverse range of industries which all contribute to economic prosperity, from large manufacturers to small creative firms many are excelling in their particular fields.

Sussex also benefits from its geographical position; our proximity to London, Gatwick Airport and numerous ports provides ideal transport routes for business.