Romania’s GDP per capita, expressed in purchasing power standards (PPS), increased to 72% of the European Union’s average  last year — 3pp up from 2019 and 20pp up over the past decade, according to the first estimates published by the union’s statistics office, Eurostat.

The performance puts the country in line with the Baltic States — the group of countries that have boasted, among the union’s new member states, the most robust convergence towards the European Union’s average GDP and wealth levels. Lithuania’s GDP per capita rose to 87% of the EU average, marking the steepest (26pp) advance over the past decade. The other two Baltic States boasted robust convergence rates of 20pp in Estonia, to 86% of the average, and 18% in Latvia, to 72%.

In terms of the convergence level reached, Romania’s economy ranks 2pp below that of Hungary and 4pp behind Poland, but well above the economy of Bulgaria (55% of the EU average) or even Greece or Turkey (64% each).

When it comes to actual individual consumption (AIC) per capita, also expressed in PPS, Romania does even better: its AIC rose to 79% of the EU’s average, 25pp up from a decade ago. This was again the second-widest leap, after Lithuania (+29% and 96% of the EU average). By AIC per capita, Romania thus ranks within the Baltic States’ 72%-96% corridor, somewhat below Poland (83%) but well above Hungary (69%), while Turkey, Bulgaria and Serbia score weaker ratios of 72%, 61% and 52% respectively.

In the region, Hungary (69% of the EU average), Bulgaria (61%), and even Greece (78%) lag behind while Poland stands out with a strong 83% ratio.

AIC, GDP at PPP	AIC at PPP		10-yr change		GDP at PPP		10-yr change
	2010	2020			2010	2020
EU 27	100	100	0		100	100	0
Euro area	109	105	-4		109	105	-4
Belgium	113	113	0		121	117	-4
Bulgaria	45	61	16		44	55	11
Czechia	77	87	10		84	94	10
Denmark	119	121	2		131	136	5
Germany	119	123	4		121	121	0
Estonia	61	79	18		66	86	20
Ireland	103	94	-9		132	211	79
Greece	95	78	-17		85	64	-21
Spain	93	87	-6		96	86	-10
France	113	109	-4		109	103	-6
Croatia	60	67	7		60	64	4
Italy	111	97	-14		106	94	-12
Cyprus	105	98	-7		102	87	-15
Latvia	56	72	16		54	72	18
Lithuania	67	96	29		61	87	26
Luxembourg	141	131	-10		260	266	6
Hungary	63	69	6		66	74	8
Malta	84	83	-1		87	97	10
Netherlands	124	117	-7		137	133	-4
Austria	122	114	-8		128	124	-4
Poland	70	83	13		63	76	13
Portugal	88	85	-3		83	77	-6
Romania	54	79	25		52	72	20
Slovenia	82	80	-2		85	89	4
Slovakia	76	73	-3		76	71	-5
Finland	113	114	1		118	115	-3
Sweden	119	111	-8		128	123	-5
Iceland	116	124	8		121	125	4
Norway	134	128	-6		176	142	-34
Switzerland	134	123	-11		166	160	-6
United Kingdom	119	110	-9		111	102	-9
Montenegro	53	61	8		41	46	5
North Macedonia	40	44	4		35	38	3
Albania	34	40	6		29	31	2
Serbia	47	52	5		39	43	4
Turkey	53	72	19		53	64	11
Bosnia and Herzegovina	39	43	4		30	33	3
United States	160	156	-4		147	136	-11
Japan	106	97	-9		106	91	-15
source: Eurostat