Gaia's economy, from its own records
Every figure below is queried live from the data layer. They are INE series and Gaiurb registries, each labelled with its own source and vintage. Where the public record stops, the page says so instead of estimating.
01Where industry lives
Gaiurb names 14 industrial zones and 6 business parks, and lists 47 business-reception areas across the municipality totalling 1706 ha of floor and lot space. The largest concentrations sit in Canelas and Oliveira do Douro; incubation and office typologies cluster around Santa Marinha and Mafamude.
| Reception area | Parish | Typology | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parque Empresarial de Sandim | Sandim | Parque Empresarial | 190 ha |
| Área Industrial de Brandariz | Serzedo e Perosinho | Zona Industrial | 185 ha |
| Zona Industrial de Avintes | Avintes | Zona Industrial | 163 ha |
| Área Industrial de Avintes | Avintes | Zona Industrial | 130 ha |
| Zona Industrial de Serzedo | Serzedo | Zona Industrial | 112 ha |
| Zona Industrial da Rainha | Serzedo e Perosinho, Arcozelo | Zona Industrial | 90 ha |
| Parque Empresarial de Sermonde | Sermonde | Zona Industrial | 80 ha |
| Zona Industrial dos Terços | Canelas | Zona Industrial | 44 ha |
| Zona Industrial de Oliveira do Douro | Oliveira do Douro | Zona Industrial | 42 ha |
| Zona Industrial da Mina | Canelas | Zona Industrial | 42 ha |
Ten largest of 47 named areas, by declared area. Source: Gaiurb, áreas de acolhimento empresarial (StoryMaps / AGOL layer). Declared areas mix lot and floor space; treat as indicative.
02What the economy runs on
Commerce is the largest employer and biller; manufacturing is second on both counts, with 23,660 people and €3.1B of the municipality's €14.5B enterprise turnover. Every CAE section, ranked by employment:
| Sector (CAE section) | Employment | Turnover | Share of employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| GWholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 27,798 | €7.0B | |
| CManufacturing | 23,660 | €3.1B | |
| NAdministrative and support service activities | 17,485 | €541M | |
| IAccommodation and food service activities | 10,949 | €557M | |
| FConstruction | 9,465 | €732M | |
| MConsultancy, scientific and technical activities | 9,408 | €465M | |
| QHuman health and social work activities | 6,549 | €325M | |
| HTransportation and storage | 5,611 | €449M | |
| PEducation | 3,438 | €52M | |
| SOther service activities | 3,290 | €47M | |
| LReal estate activities | 3,208 | €514M | |
| JInformation and communication activities | 2,776 | €176M | |
| RArts, entertainment, sports and recreation activities | 2,580 | €95M | |
| EWater collection, treatment and distribution; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities | 1,058 | €372M | |
| AAgriculture, farming of animals, hunting and forestry | 1,045 | €42M | |
| DElectricity, gas, steam, cold and hot water and cold air | 117 | €7M | |
| BMining and quarrying | 30 | €2M |
Source: INE, persons employed (0013861) and turnover (0013862) in enterprises, 2024. Enterprise statistics by establishment location. A firm headquartered elsewhere counts its Gaia establishments here.
03Inside manufacturing
The manufacturing base is metalworking, motor vehicles and beverages, not textiles or electronics. Largest divisions by employment:
Source: INE 0013861, CAE divisions 10–33, 2024. Employment, not output, so capital-intensive plants rank lower here than they would by turnover.
04Named companies in the public record
The INE georeferenced panel names 9,777 companies in Gaia with sector, legal form and coordinates, but its last public vintage is 2017, and it carries no size measure. The current count (2024) registers 46 large enterprises among 50,124 total, but the public series does not say which ones. A "main companies of Gaia" ranking therefore needs a commercial registry source (Informa D&B, Racius) or the companies' own filings; this page will not fabricate one. Ask the AI Analyst for the named 2017 panel by sector, parish or industrial pole. That query is real.