Download EMBARGO: Tuesday 21 October

STAT/10/195
15 December 2010
GDP per inhabitant in purchasing power standards
GDP per inhabitant in the Member States ranged
from 44% to 271% of the EU27 average in 2009
In 2009, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per inhabitant in Luxembourg1, expressed in purchasing power
standards2 (PPS), was more than two and a half times the EU27 average, while the Netherlands recorded a level
more than 30% above the average. Ireland, Austria and Denmark were between 20% and 30% above the EU27
average, while Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Finland and the United Kingdom were between 10% and 20%
above average.
France, Italy and Spain registered GDP per inhabitant between 0% and 10% above the EU27 average, while
Cyprus and Greece were between 0% and 10% below the average.
Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Malta and Slovakia were between 10% and 30% lower than the EU27
average. Hungary, Estonia, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia were between 30% and 50% lower, while Romania
and Bulgaria were between 50% and 60% below the EU27 average.
These data for 2009, 2008 and 2007, published3 by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, are
based on revised4 purchasing power parities, and the latest GDP and population figures. They cover the 27 EU
Member States, three EFTA Member States, three EU Candidate Countries and four Western Balkan countries.
1. The high GDP per inhabitant in Luxembourg is partly due to the country's large share of cross-border workers in total
employment. While contributing to GDP, these workers are not taken into consideration as part of the resident population
which is used to calculate GDP per inhabitant.
2. The Purchasing Power Standard (PPS) is an artificial currency unit that eliminates price level differences between countries.
Thus one PPS buys the same volume of goods and services in all countries. This unit allows meaningful volume
comparisons of economic indicators across countries. Aggregates expressed in PPS are derived by dividing aggregates in
current prices and national currency by the respective Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). The level of uncertainty associated
with the basic price and national accounts data, and the methods used for compiling PPPs imply that differences between
countries that have indices within a close range should not be over-interpreted.
3. Eurostat, Statistics in Focus, 62/2010, "Major dispersion in GDP per inhabitant across the EU". In addition to GDP per
inhabitant, this publication also includes data on Actual Individual Consumption per inhabitant, an alternative welfare
indicator listed among the recommendations of the Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi report. The publication is available free of charge in
PDF format on the Eurostat website.
4. The regular publication schedule of PPPs includes four estimates for a particular year. The first estimate for 2009, based
partly on projections, was published in News Release 91/2010 of 21 June 2010. The present News Release corresponds to
the second estimate. The 2009 figures will be revised again in December 2011 and finalised in 2012.
5. The euro area (EA16) consists of Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Malta, the
Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland.
Issued by:
Eurostat Press Office
Tim ALLEN
Tel: +352-4301-33 444
[email protected]
Eurostat news releases on the Internet:
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat
For further information on the data:
Lars SVENNEBYE
Tel: +352-4301-33 870
[email protected]
Jukka JALAVA
Tel: +352-4301-38 435
[email protected]
GDP per inhabitant in PPS, EU27 = 100
2007
2008
2009
EU27
100
100
100
Euro area (EA16)5
109
109
109
Luxembourg
275
280
271
Netherlands
132
134
131
Ireland
147
133
127
Austria
123
124
124
Denmark
123
123
121
Sweden
125
122
118
Germany
116
116
116
Belgium
116
115
116
Finland
117
118
113
United Kingdom
116
115
112
France
108
107
108
Italy
104
104
104
Spain
105
103
103
Cyprus
93
97
99
Greece
91
93
93
Slovenia
88
91
88
Czech Republic
80
81
82
Portugal
78
78
80
Malta
77
77
79
Slovakia
68
72
73
Hungary
62
64
65
Estonia
69
68
64
Poland
54
56
61
Lithuania
59
61
55
Latvia
56
56
52
Romania
42
47
46
Bulgaria
40
44
44
Norway
179
189
178
Switzerland
140
143
145
Iceland
121
122
118
Croatia
60
64
65
Turkey
45
47
46
Former Yugoslav Rep. of Macedonia
31
34
36
Montenegro
40
43
41
Serbia
33
37
37
Bosnia and Herzegovina
29
30
31
Albania
23
26
27