The Leningrad Region is highly industrialized region which implies developed system of manufacturing industries and transportation facilities.
Industry
The Leningrad Region industry is versatile and highly diversified and is represented by machine building and metal-processing, 
metallurgy, power engineering, forestry, chemical and petrochemical industry, construction and construction materials industry, various types of light industry, as well as pulp-and-paper production, food industry, livestock feed production. The most intensively developed industries are machine-building, metal working, timber, electric power industry and food industry. They account for over 80% of all industrial output in the aggregate. Nearly 66% of the total number of industrial workers are those employed in these sectors. Different sectors of economy are represented by large and medium sized companies. The sectoral structure of the small industrial enterprises of the region is multifaceted and covers almost all spheres of manufacture. In total, 23% of the working age population of the region is employed in small business. The sectoral structure of the small industrial enterprises of the region is multifaceted and covers almost all spheres of manufacture.
The fuel and energy sector forms the foundation of the Leningrad Region industrial base and is vitally important for the needs of the Northwest region. Lenenergo, JSC, is the operating company. Its largest source of electric energy is the Kirishi Main Regional Power Plant. The Kirishinefteorgsintez plant, LLC, is one of the largest oil refineries in Russia. The largest shale producing enterprise is Leningradslanets, JSC. The gas supplying organization is Lentransgas, LLC, and the distributing organizations are Lenoblgaz, JSC, and Gatchingaz, JSC which also provide for liquefied gas supplies.
The main corporations in the engineering sector are the Transmash Plant, the Luga Abrasive Plant, the Tosno Bus Plant, Burevestnik, Ladoga and a number of other enterprises.
Among the largest chemical enterprises are Fosforit, JSC, Era, JSC, Volkhov Chemical Plant, JSC, Khimik, JSC, Lesogorsk Factory, JSC, Zavod Imeni Morozova State Enterprise.
The development of the metallurgic industry is directed by three large enterprises: Glinozyom Pikalyovo Plant, JSC, Volkhov Aluminum, JSC, Boksitogorsky Glinozyom, JSC.
The timber sector also has promising investment projects such as development and modernization of the Syassky Pulp and Paper Mill, development of the Vyborg Pulp and Paper Mill Company, construction of a wood processing plant in Boksitogorsk city, development and modernization of the timber companies in the region, establishment of a timber shipment company, establishment of a timber port terminal in Ust-Luga.
The light industry mainly produces fabrics, non-woven materials of fabric type, knitted goods, and clothing. The sector leaders are Uzor, JSC, Luzhsky Trikotazh, JSC, Volkhovchanka, JSC, Ivteks, JSC.
Agriculture
The Leningrad Region has potential to develop aquaculture. Almost all branches of agriculture are represented in the Region: animal husbandries, meat and milk farms, poultry plants, hothouse complexes. 
The region has already active fish farms, favorable natural conditions and great consumer markets for fish. As the financial resources of the farms and the state budgets are limited, one of the main goals of the agricultural policy of the Leningrad Region Government is maintaining the productive potential of the rural sector, which includes attracting investments.
Transportation
The Leningrad Region’s transportation facilities are crucial for domestic and international trade. The Region has a well-developed 
transportation and road network. The region is traversed by major import/export cargo flows, including oil and petrochemicals. One of the fastest and most cost-effective transit routes for container cargoes spanning Southeast Asia and Western Europe transits through the Region. The territory of the Leningrad Region crosses some Europe-Asia transport corridors such as “North – Southт” and “Transsib”. Transportation infrastructure projects are set to become highly attractive for investors and strategically important for the Region and the rest of Russia.
Port facilities. Sea freight is possible via Saint-Petersburg, Vyborg and Vysotsk ports which are presently being expanded with new facilities, including the liquefied gas terminal and oil terminal in Primorsk, the oil terminal in Vysotsk, and the coal terminal. The main port for the timber processing is Ust-Luga and its timber terminal “Factor”. The Baltic Pipeline System includes building a new Russian crude oil transshipment terminal near the city of Primorsk (Vyborg district), one of the most challenging projects in the Russian Federation.
Inland waterways. The Leningrad Region has approx. 2.000 km of navigable inland waterways with the main harbors at Leningradsky River Port, Sviritsa and Podporozhye. The Volga-Baltic Waterway traverses the Leningrad Region with the other inland waterways across Russia as well as the Baltic Sea ports. The Northwest River Freighting Company carries over 40 million tons of cargoes per navigation season via Leningrad Region waterways.
Pipelines. Pipelines are rapidly developing transportation mode. It has become a critical link in the Leningrad Region’s transportation chain. Launched in December 2001, phase one of the Baltic Pipeline System (BPS) soon reached its full capacity of 12 million tons of crude oil a year. Since March 2006, the throughput capacity of the BPS and its port terminal has increased to 65 million tons annually. This project, featuring very high on the government’s circles, is designed to create a new export outlet for Russian oil extracted in the Timano-Pechorsky Region, West Siberia, the Urals and the Volga basin via a new oil terminal near Primorsk on the Finnish Gulf.
The project of the North European Gas Pipeline (NEGP) is considered to be one of the main cooperation project in the XXI century. According to the project an export gas pipeline is going to be constructed via the Baltic Sea bottom. The NEGP run across the Leningrad Region (2.200 km of gas pipelines in its territory).
Railways. The Region is heavily depended on its railway system. The bulk of long-distance cargo and passenger traffic is shipped by rail to both domestic and international destinations. October Railways, JSC is a subsidiary of Russian Railways, JSC. There are approx. 3.000 km of operating railways in the region with the density of 32 km of tracks per 1.000 sq. km.
Highways. There are 10.440km of hard-paved public roads in the Region, including 1.245 km of federal highways. There are seven federal highways in the Region, one of the most important of them are “Rossia”, “Scandinavia”, “St. Petersburg-Pskov”, connecting the region with the rest of Russia and Europe. Aspects of development and improvement of Russian national and regional transport systems, including the formation of shipping corridors, are complex and systemic in nature. Tariff and tax regulations and logistics management system are under consideration. It should be mentioned that the utilization of cutting-edge technology and modern means of transport meets high international technical and environmental standards.
Foreign trade
Because of the unique geopolitics of the region the enterprises of the Leningrad Region traditionally actively operate in foreign trade. Foreign trade turnover of the Leningrad Region increased by 36% in 2010 comparing with 2009 and totaled USD 14.727,1 million. The volume of exports increased by 42% and the volume of import rose by 25%. Trading operations were carried out with partners from 142 countries.
Export
The export volume in 2010 reached USD 10.147,6 million. By the end of 2010 the total cost of export supplies increased by 42%.
Import
In 2010 imports increased by 25% comparing with 2009 and totaled USD 4.579,5 million. The volume of import from the CIS and far-abroad countries rose by 4% and 25% accordingly, and amounted to USD 57.7 million and USD 4.579, 5 million.
