Bulgaria has EU's poorest regions

Bulgaria has EU's poorest regions
/ Eurostat
By bne IntelliNews March 6, 2021

GDP per capita in Bulgaria, expressed in terms of national purchasing power standards (PPS), was the lowest in the EU in 2019, according to GDP and employment data published by Eurostat.

In the North-West region of Bulgaria, the GDP per capita was the lowest, at just 32% of the EU average. Bulgaria’s other non-capital regions occupy the remaining lowest places.

In the North-Central region, the GDP per capita stood at 35% of EU’s average, followed by the South-Central (37%), South-East (40%) and North-East (41%) regions.

The leading regions in the ranking of regional GDP per capita in 2019, after Luxembourg (260% of the EU average), were Southern (240%) in Ireland, Prague (205%) in Czechia, Brussels in Belgium and Eastern & Midland in Ireland (both 202%) as well as Hamburg (195%) in Germany.

“In 2019, regional GDP per person employed ranged from €12,700 in North-Central in Bulgaria to €205,500 in Southern in Ireland, compared with the EU average of €66,800,” the EC noted in a statement on the release of data.

Meanwhile, three Bulgarian regions scored the lowest for labour productivity: North-Central (€12,700), South-Central (€13,000) and North-West (€13,400).

Data

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