governments create for businesses. 11th in Europe, 2nd in the UK after London, in terms of languages spoken. 18th in Europe, 4th in the UK after London, Manchester and Leeds for ease of travelling around within the city. In the same survey, when asked how well companies know each of the cities as a business location, 28% said they were familiar with Birmingham as a business location. This was the third-highest in the UK after London (82%) and Manchester (33%). GVA In 2013, Birmingham's GVA was £24.1bn, accounting for 21.8% of the GVA of the West Midlands (region), and 1.6% of the GVA of the UK. Compared with other NUTS 3 city areas, its GVA is exceeded only by London (comprising five NUTS 3 areas – £309.3bn) and Greater Manchester South (£34.8bn). The increase in GVA in 2013 was particularly strong when compared to previous years (increase in GVA of 2.2% in the period 2011–2012 for Birmingham). Productivity GVA per employee in Birmingham is estimated to be £42,800 in 2012. It is ranked 6th among the major cities and conurbations in the UK, and ranked 3rd among the Core Cities behind London (£75,100), Edinburgh (£54,100), Leeds (£46,900), Greater Manchester South (£46,500) and Glasgow (£44,700). excluding Birmingham, included Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield GVA by sector GDP According to the 2012 Eurostat figures, GDP per capita (in euros) of Greater Manchester is = €27,500 just ahead of the West-Midlands with €26,600 but only half the GDP per capita of Dublin €57,200 or London with €54,200. Greater Manchester has a total GDP of €74.398 bn, West Midlands has a total GDP of €73.538 bn but less than the €85.700 bn in Greater Dublin and €450.379 bn in Greater London. Employment, welfare and education The mid-year estimate for the population of Birmingham was 1,085,400 in 2012 and population growth was estimated to be 1.04%, the 4th highest of the Core Cities after Nottingham (1.59%), Manchester (1.56%) and Newcastle (1.2%). Employment Earnings Median earnings in pounds for employees living in Birmingham Median earnings in pounds for employees working in Birmingham. Education Business activity As the UK economy continues to recover from the downturn experienced in 2008–10, Birmingham has underperformed relative to other Core Cities, where a change in business stock was 1.6% compared to 3.6% for the Core Cities average. However, the underlying data showed that Birmingham had a high entrepreneurial