Runner up: Wallonia, Belgium

Flanders narrowly beat Wallonia in a tie-breaking vote from the judges after the two rival regions tied on points. Flanders ranked ahead of Wallonia for economic potential, while Wallonia beat Flanders on location costs. A Walloon secretary makes just €20,500 while a counterpart in Flanders takes home an average €37,300.

Wallonia also impressed the judges for its IT infrastructure and infrastructure projects, outranking the winner. Wallonia claims a greater percentage of university graduates, but the judges ranked schools and universities in Flanders ahead of those in Wallonia. BrabantStad in the Netherlands was also a strong contender, coming in just two points behind.