Economy of North Rhine-Westphalia

[1] If NRW were a sovereign country, it would have an economy comparable to that of Saudi Arabia in terms of nominal gross domestic product (GDP) as of 2014.

[9] With 28.7 percent (187.6 billion euros), North Rhine-Westphalia recorded by far the highest direct investment share in Germany of all 16 federal states in 2008.

Around 11,500 foreign companies from the most important investment countries control their German or European operations from bases in North Rhine-Westphalia.

These include many international global players such as 3M, BP, Ericsson, Ford, LG Electronics, QVC, Sony, Renault, Toyota, and Vodafone.

[12] Many rural parts of Eastern Westphalia, Bergisches Land and the Lower Rhine ground their economy on "Hidden Champions" in various sectors.

[13] Due to underfunding, citizen resistance to major projects and a lack of staff, political willingness and planning capacities, the state's infrastructure is seen as in need of improvement.