Lyon is the third-largest city in France and is situated in the country’s Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Lyon is one of the oldest cities in France and is highly cosmopolitan. It is the region’s economic, transportation, and cultural centre. Since the Middle Ages, Lyon has been known for influencing other cities around the world. It is famous for its astounding medieval buildings and modern structures that stand side by side to complement each other. Some of the places that make it famous include the amazing ancient buildings, Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière, Place Bellecour, the Roman theatre, and the Vieux Lyon (Old Lyon).

Census in France is done after every five years and 2016 was the last time that it was conducted. The next census is scheduled for 2021. According to the 2016 census, Lyon had a population of 513,275. Compared to other cities in France, Lyon is considered to be quite diverse. When it comes to religious beliefs, Lyon is known to be diverse as most people identify themselves as Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist. According to the data collected during the 2016 census, 41.6% people in Lyon identified themselves as Catholic, 7.5% as Muslim, 0.5% Jewish, 0.5% Buddhist and 0.1% Other religions. On the other hand, 49.8% of respondents declared that they followed no religion. As one of the most diverse cities in France, Lyon houses over half a million residents, who collectively speak over dozens of languages, including Italian, Portuguese, Armenian, Arabic, Turkish, Spanish, English, and of course French.

There are two tiers under local government in Lyon. They are citywide and local tier. Citywide administration is coordinated by the Metropolis of Lyon, while local administration is carried out by nine arrondissements. The Metropolis of Lyon consists of an elected Metropolitan Council. The Council has executive powers and is responsible for strategic planning, policing, the fire service, most aspects of transport and economic development. On the other hand, the nine arrondissements are responsible for local services not overseen by the Metropolis of Lyon, such as local planning, schools, social services, local roads and refuse collection. The arrondissements each have a council made up from representatives from political parties and single issue organizations elected every six years by local residents.

Lyon has always been a commercial city and today enjoys the status of having one of the largest city economies in France. The city thrives in trade and commerce and has a vibrant culture steeped in commerce. It has a GDP of over €74 billion, which is about 4 percent of France's total GDP. The size of its economy is larger than that of several European nations. The Port of Lyon handles 12 million tons of cargo every year.

Lyon has taken positive steps with its draft Lyon infrastructure plan 2030. The Mayor of Lyon took a big step forward in planning for growth with the publication of Lyon’s Infrastructure Plan 2030. It identifies a range of infrastructure priorities for Lyon, from new energy, water and sewerage infrastructure, to enhanced digital connectivity and new rail and road schemes. Some of the investment is provided by the private sector, through the privatized utilities. This has generally worked well in Lyon, although business is particularly concerned at the lack of capacity in digital infrastructure.