Energetic, open-minded and future-oriented: Hamburg makes you eager to explore

Why Hamburg?

Thanks to its mix of economic potential and high quality of life, Hamburg is the economic heart of Northern Europe. People and companies from all over the world settle here. Whether startups, industrial players or service providers: businesses feel at home in Hamburg. Below you can find location information on Hamburg and its surroundings.

Vogelperspektive auf die Hamburger Elbphilharmonie und Speicherstadt

Facts & figures on Hamburg
as a centre of innovation

All the location information you need to know about Hamburg as a business location and the port of Hamburg.

Menschen auf der Hamburger Elbe nach Feierabend

Maritime flair meets high quality of life

Hamburg is one of the cities with the highest quality of life in the world and continues to score high in rankings by e.g. Mercer and The Economist.

The port as a driver of innovation

Location information: Hamburg as a centre of innovation

  • fDi Magazine: Most attractive region for international investors in Germany (source: European Cities and Regions of the Future report 2023)
  • Home to 120,000 higher education students, 15,000 scientists, and almost 10,000 IT companies (sources: Statista.com, Hamburg Chamber of Commerce)
  • More than 20 higher education institutions and one University of Excellence as drivers of innovation
  • Home to a creative startup community
  • Smart City Index 2024: Hamburg takes 2nd place overall in the ranking of the Bitkom industry association (source: Smart City Index 2024)
  • A network of innovation parks with different focal points
  • At the location: DESY, XFEL, Fraunhofer IAPT, ZAL, DLR, CFK Valley
  • Nine cluster initiatives - from aviation to renewable energies, media and life sciences

Why the future is at home here

In Hamburg, we love researching and experimenting, and thanks to this passion we've invented handy products such as the chip card, adhesive plaster and the satnav. And we are building our future on this traidition. Today, as the second largest city in one of the world's largest economies, Hamburg is a driver of innovation and an urban test lab for forward-looking projects. What is more, Hamburg is considered to be one of the world's most promising cities of the future.

As a particularly green city and featuring Germany's largest seaport, Hamburg is a logistics hub and the economic heart of Northern Europe, and, thanks to the Fehmarnbelt link, will soon be even more closely linked to its Scandinavian neighbours. We - that's 5.4 million residents in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region.

Smart and innovative

An international leader e.g. in media, life sciences and wind energy, Hamburg is the third largest aviation centre in the world. Once again named Germany's Smart City by Bitkom, Germany's digital association, we are a hotspot for innovative technologies. Deep tech, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, IoT and robotics, is good for us if it benefits people. In Hamburg, companies are developing intelligent solutions for climate change, and innovative startups are pulling all-nighters in hackathons to remove viruses using UV light.

Our USPs are the port as a centre of transformation and disruptive technologies. We are building on our centuries-long tradition as a port and industrial location, while constantly reinventing ourselves - because only those who adapt will thrive. This is what the Smart Port stands for, with intelligent logistics, drones, and test tracks for self-driving buses. Our plan is to turn the port into the centre of a sustainable and green hydrogen economy in Europe. Today, more and more industries have recognised the signs of the times and are committed to green hydrogen. To this end, we are utilising the potential of wind power in Northern Germany.

Happy in Hamburg

Passionate entrepreneurs, excellent science, strong economic clusters and innovative founders are our biggest drivers. Above all, it is the people, the places, the high quality of life and the wealth of opportunities that attract more and more investors, students and skilled professionals to Hamburg and the region between the North and Baltic Seas. So it almost goes withouth saying that Hamburg's residents are the happiest city dwellers in Germany 

News from Hamburg's business community

Modern circular sports arena with people walking, cars on road, trees, and a hot air balloon in the sky.

New sports and event arena for Hamburg?

Billebogen Entwicklungsgesellschaft invites companies and investors to tender
Bright pink nextMedia Festival sign with blue geometric logo and blurred person in foreground.

nextMedia Festival shows "AI search is new reality"

nextMedia Festival 2025 shows change in media industry just beginning
Red brick building with large arched windows, graffiti on the lower wall, and cars parked along the street.

"Chamber of Commerce On Tour" of Hamburg's suburbs

New Chamber of Commerce event invites businesses to Zeisehallen in Altona on July 16, 2025
Eventlocation des Young Makers Festival: Die Factory Hammerbrooklyn. Auf dem Bild zu sehen ist ein heller Raum mit vielen Fenstern, außerdem ein langer Tisch, der aussieht wie eine Rennbahn sich einmal durch den Raum schlängelt und dabei verschiedene Formen annimmt

Young Makers Festival gives insight into starting a business

Young Makers Festival shows path from student to entrepreneur
India Week Hamburg 2023: am Hamburger Rathaus hängt die indische Flagge

India Week to celebrate Hanseatic-India links

Around 70 events to mark India Week from June 23-29, 2025
Senator for Economics and Innovation Melanie Leonhard during her opening speech on the stage, which is highlighted by colorful spotlights

Shaping innovation together

Cross Innovation Day highlights potential of collaboration under theme of "Changing perspectives - shaping the future sustainably"
Mann mit Fahhrrad in U-Bahnhof Elbbrücken

"UITP Summit 2025" underway in Hamburg

Urban mobility tops agenda of Public Transport World Congress in Hamburg (June 15-18, 2025)
MakerLab Symbolbild: Bunte Bastelarbeiten auf einem Tisch, im Hintergrund Menschen, die an etwas tüfteln

New maker lab in Central Library

Maker Lab encourages DIY - part of Fab City movement
Junge Menschen rennen durch Hamburgs Innenstadt

Hamburg pitching for Olympic and Paralympic Games

Hamburg enters race for Olympic bid with festival highlighting short distances, boost for innovation and economic dynamism
Panorama-Bild der Stage Theater mit der Elbe im Vordergrund

Culture as an economic factor: summer offers in Hamburg

Hamburg highly attractive for city breaks - musicals now a tourist magnet and economic factor - Hamburg News goes behind the scenes
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