INTRODUCTION
Glasgow: Scotland’s Metropolis
Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city and only metropolitan region. It is the beating heart at the centre of a city region of 1.85 million people. Glasgow City Region is the largest integrated economic region in Scotland with around a third of Scotland’s output, business base, research power and employment.
Glasgow City Poplutaion
Over
Capital investment since 2011
CGVA: making Glasgow the 4th largest city region economy in the UK*
*outside of London
Excellent infrastructure and digital connectivity with the best UK 5G performance in 2025
Glasgow is recognised as one of the most affordable cities in the UK and beats London, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh on property and labour costs, yet delivers on quality across the board. Although it is home to Scotland’s largest office market, Glasgow still has a requirement to increase the level of Grade A office square footage to support new and existing businesses looking to set up and grow, as well as address the requirements for hybrid and collaborative working.
Home to major international companies
including Barclays Wealth, JP Morgan Chase, BAE, Scottish Power, Morgan Stanley, Dell, Santander + more!
of the population is educated to degree level
of the population is of working age (between 16 and 64)
the UK's number 2 city of Quality of life
(Numbeo 2025)
Uniquely, Glasgow and the city region is home to 3 innovation districts – Glasgow Riverside Innovation District (GRID), Glasgow City Innovation District (GCID) and Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland (AMIDS) anchored by the Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde, creating places which nurture and support the growth of our clusters and sectors in health and life sciences, enabling technologies and advanced manufacturing. Innovation Zone status was awarded to the City Region in 2022 and the region’s most innovative businesses and organisations will benefit from access to £160 million over the next 10 years towards the creation of a more productive and competitive regional economy.
Top
most innovative cities in the world
Home to
institutions of higher education and 6 colleges
Cgraduate retention rate
UNESCO City of Lifelong Learning
Glasgow's Green Credentials
In 2019, Glasgow City Council declared a climate and ecological emergency and formed a working group that produced 61 recommendations on how the city should respond to the emergency. Glasgow has an ambitious target to become a Net Zero Carbon city by 2030.
A key component will be the delivery of the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy which aims to bring together key priorities around the reduction of carbon emissions, improvement of domestic and non-domestic building stock and the need for affordable warmth. Glasgow City Council is currently considering the best options and most effective means to deliver the strategy including the establishment of an Energy Partnership with the private sector. The city is also working on developing a green funding model in a bid to secure transformative levels of investment for a climate resilient future.
As part of its COP26 legacy, Glasgow joined the C40 Thriving Cities Initiative, a project for pioneering cities that recognise the need to tackle harmful, unsustainable consumption and transition to more equitable and sustainable economies to meet Paris Climate Agreement goals.
In 2025, Glasgow is celebrating its 850th birthday!
fDi's Large European City of the Future 2025: 3rd for FDI Strategy & 8th for Connectivity
in the Resonance Top 100 European Cities
UK's friendliest city
(CN Traveller 2024)
Drawing on our Legacy to Build the Future
Glasgow is celebrating its 850th birthday! In 1175 the city gained Burgh status, a pivotal moment that shaped the vibrant and unique city we know today. In true Glaswegian-style, a yearlong curated programme of events has been created to celebrate Glasgow's rich history, dynamic present, and ambitious future.
Looking forward, Glasgow is set to host the Commonwealth Games again next year. Like in 2014, the 2026 event will once again profile Glasgow to the whole world. Glasgow’s ability to again deliver the event is unique within the commonwealth due to the supply chain, the city’s venues and its people. The event is being delivered entirely in partnership and will be the most inclusive and sustainable Games to date.
Glasgow has achieved a remarkable transformation through innovation and investment and they will continue to feature in the next stage of our evolution. In this milestone year, we will reflect on the recent past but look to a vibrant future that draws on our successes in innovation, creativity and investment to transition to a smart, sustainable city of the future.
