Economics
The Ústí nad Labem region is and always has been an industrial region. In the second half of the 20th century, the economy of the Ústí nad Labem region focused on open-pit mining of brown coal and its energy use. This period resulted in the region’s considerable dependence on large enterprises in these sectors. Other traditional industries in the Ústí nad Labem region are the chemical industry and the production of glass and porcelain. In agriculture, the region is proud of the cultivation of Žatec hops and fruit and vegetable growing in the Litoměřice region.
Economics
A number of industries (chemistry, textile and clothing industry, engineering, mining, energy) underwent a decline or stagnation in the 1990s. New jobs were brought by manufacturing companies in industrial zones. Thanks to the restructuring of the economy in the region, the trade and services sector is continuously strengthening.
The gross domestic product in the Ústí nad Labem region has been growing for a long time – it has increased by 50 % in ten years. However, most other regions of the Czech Republic are experiencing faster economic growth. GDP per capita in the Ústí nad Labem region is only 70 % of the Czech nationwide average.
Entrepreneurship and innovation
The economy of the Ústí nad Labem region is more dependent on large employers than is usual in other regions of the Czech Republic. The index of business activity (the number of economic entities per population) is mainly low in the peripheral areas of the Šluknov and the Podbořany regions, but also in the basin areas. The most enterprising districts of the region are Litoměřice and Ústí nad Labem.
Part of the available workforce was absorbed by industrial zones after the decline in mining and heavy industry; these are concentrated mostly in the basin areas of the region.
Average wagesin the region have been growing for a long time. Nominally, they have increased by two-thirds in 10 years. However, they still reach only about 90 % of the average level in the Czech Republic.
The level of the knowledge economy can be judged by expenditures on science and research and by the number of patents granted. Expenditures on science and research in the Ústí nad Labem region are continuously increasing. However, the Ústí nad Labem region is still the second worst region in the Czech Republic in this indicator. The number of newly filed patents has been stagnating for a long time. The Ústí nad Labem region occupies one of the last places in the inter-regional comparison in this indicator.
Transport
In 2023, there were 4,243 km of roads and motorways in the Ústí nad Labem region, of which 116 km were motorways, 469 km were class I roads and 907 km were class II roads. The largest number of kilometres was covered by class III roads – 2,751 km.
In terms of a relative indicator, the density of the road network, which is the conversion of the length of roads and motorways into the area of the region, the Ústí nad Labem region was the third highest with a value of 795 m/km2.
The Litoměřice (964 km) and Louny (941 km) districts have the longest road and motorway networks. The total operating length of railway lines reached 1,079 km and was the second highest among the regions of the Czech Republic. With a density of 202.1 m/km2, the railway network in the Ústí nad Labem region is the second densest in the country (after Prague).
The transport axis of the region is the multimodal corridor Prague – Ústí nad Labem – Dresden.
In the area of transport network, an important initiative of the Ústí nad Labem region is the construction of cycle paths. Arterial cycle paths are routed along important watercourses (Elbe Trail, Ploučnice Cycle Path, Ohře Cycle Path – not yet completed).
The Ústí nad Labem region provides suburban, intercity and rail transport in the area.
