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Britain's North East suffers more

Wednesday, October 10 07:49:55

The northeast of England had a population of 2.6 million in mid-2010. Its cities include Newcastle, Sunderland, Durham and Middlesbrough. Here are some facts about the region.

- Its unemployment rate of 10.4 per cent is the highest in the country (national average 8.1 percent) and its employment rate of 66.9 percent is the lowest (national average 71.2 percent).

- The northeast has the highest percentage of workless households - 24.9 percent (national average 17.9 percent).

- Life expectancy at birth is 77.2 years for males and 81.2 for females, among the lowest in Britain (national average 78.2 and 82.3 years respectively). About 15 percent of adults have disabilities that limit their daily activities, the highest region in England.

- Gross disposable household income is the lowest in the UK. At 13,300 pounds per head in 2010, it was 15 percent below the national average.

- The northeast is the last remaining net-exporting region in Britain. It is home to 58 percent of the country's petrochemicals industry and 35 percent of the pharmaceuticals sector. Wilton houses the largest non-military research and development centre in Europe. ( C) Reuters