Lyon - statistics & facts
Lyon is located in the East of France, at the country’s geographic crossroads, to the north of the Rhône corridor that runs from Lyon to Marseille. Situated between the Massif Central mountains to the west and the Alps to the east, the city of Lyon occupies a strategic position in north-south European traffic. It is the capital of the Rhône department, and also, the capital city of the Auvergne- Rhône-Alpes region. Lyon is the third largest city in the country in terms of population, it was home to over 522,000 people according to the most recent estimate. Former capital of the Gauls during the Roman Empire, Lyon became a major trading and financial centre during the Renaissance. In 2021, Lyon was the capital of the second richest French region with a GDP per capita of 35,765 euros per inhabitant.
In 2020, the unemployment rate in Lyon was around 12 percent. As a comparison, in that year, the unemployment rate of Marseille, the second biggest city in France , was four percentage point higher. As is common with unemployment, Lyon's younger population was more affected. The youth unemployment rate of the city of Lyon was around 20.3 percent, close to France’s average youth unemployment rate. Moreover, poverty also impacted Lyon’s young population more than any other age group. In 2021, 23 percent of the population living in a household where the tax referent was aged younger than 30, were considered poor, meaning their standard of living was below the poverty line, usually set at 60 percent of the median standard of living. In comparison, the overall poverty rate of the city of Lyon was 16 percent.
Economy and job market
In terms of the labor market, the employed population of Lyon is highly skilled with a plurality of its workforce employed in higher intellectual professions. These professions are typically provided with a higher salary, evident in the fact that Lyon’s inhabitants earned around 300 euros more than the average French person. Indeed, in 2021, the average monthly salary for someone living in France was around 2,524 euros when it was around 2,851 euros for someone living in Lyon. However, like in the rest of France, gender inequalities and more specifically the gender pay gap are challenges Lyon’s employees need to deal with. Indeed, in 2021, male executives received an average net hourly salary of 28.5 euros while their female counterparts received only 23.8 euros. Lyon remains an attractive city to do business and over 14,381 companies were created in 2022, with more than 4,810 of these new companies operating either in the professional, scientific, technical activities sector, or in the administrative and support service activities sector. Like most businesses in France, Lyon's enterprises were mostly small, and employed between one and nine employees.In 2020, the unemployment rate in Lyon was around 12 percent. As a comparison, in that year, the unemployment rate of Marseille, the second biggest city in France , was four percentage point higher. As is common with unemployment, Lyon's younger population was more affected. The youth unemployment rate of the city of Lyon was around 20.3 percent, close to France’s average youth unemployment rate. Moreover, poverty also impacted Lyon’s young population more than any other age group. In 2021, 23 percent of the population living in a household where the tax referent was aged younger than 30, were considered poor, meaning their standard of living was below the poverty line, usually set at 60 percent of the median standard of living. In comparison, the overall poverty rate of the city of Lyon was 16 percent.
