The UK's second-city, Birmingham, is located at the heart of England's West Midlands metropolitan county which, as of 2022, had a
of around 2.95 million.
accounted for 1.15 million of this population, followed by other major settlements in the area such as Coventry and Wolverhampton. The main political figurehead for this area is the Mayor of the West Midlands, who as of 2024 was Labour candidate Richard Parker, after he edged the incumbent Andy Street in the May 2024
by 37.8 percent of votes to 37.5 percent. During the Brexit Referendum of 2016 Birmingham was something of an outlier among large UK cities, in that it
, compared with fairly robust Remain majorities in cities such as London, Liverpool, and Manchester.
Birmingham's budget woes
Although a relatively minor settlement prior to the modern era, Birmingham's economy grew rapidly in the 1700s, and it became one of Britain's key manufacturing centers by the 19th Century. Like similar areas of the county, however, Birmingham industrial economy declined throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and the area has faced similar challenges in reorienting it's local economy.
GDP per capita in West Midlands Metropolitan County was less than half that of Greater London in 2022, while
average weekly earnings for those who work in Birmingham was lower than the UK average in 2023. The local government has also had its fair share of economic problems. In September 2023, Birmingham City Council notified the government that it was unable to fulfill its spending commitments via a
Section 114 notice, leading to cuts to budgets and services. Although Birmingham is not alone is facing
local government funding issues, some of the specific reasons for their financial difficulties include a substantial
equal pay case to former female employees of the city, and problems with the implementation of new I.T. system in 2022.
A hub for education, sport, and music
Birmingham and the West Midlands are home to several major universities, and as of 2022 had a higher education
student population of around 181,065. According to rankings in 2024, the University of Birmingham, as well as the University of Warwick on the outskirts of Coventry were among the top 20 UK universities. As with many other major UK cities, Birmingham has produced many influential bands and artists, and is widely acknowledged as the birthplace of
heavy metal, due its connection to the early pioneers of the genre such as Black Sabbath, and Judas Priest. In terms of English football league titles, Aston Villa is Birmingham's most successful football club, having won the
English league seven times, along with local rivals Wolverhampton at three titles, and West Bromwich Albion with one. All of these clubs have also won several
FA Cups, and at least one
League Cup, with Birmingham City also winning the latter on two occasions.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no
liability for the information given being complete or correct.
Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date
data than referenced in the text.
