National statistics: Bulgaria remains the poorest country in the EU in terms of GDP distribution

Bulgaria has the lowest per capita production of goods and services measured in money compared to the European Union. This is shown by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita statistics. On this indicator, Bulgaria reports only 60% of the Community average. The data are for 2022.

The distribution of GDP is considered a key indicator of the quality of life in a country. The higher it is, the better people live and vice versa.

In 2022, Luxembourg and Ireland had the highest level of GDP per capita in the EU, 161% and 134% above the EU average. In international comparisons of national accounts data (such as GDP per capita), it is desirable not only to express the data in a common currency, but also to adjust for differences in price levels, which is done by national statistics.

Ireland ranks second among EU countries with 134% above the EU average, followed by Denmark, the Netherlands, Austria and Belgium, each with GDP per capita more than 20% above the EU average. Ireland's high level of GDP per capita can be partly explained by the presence of large multinational companies owning intellectual property.

Sweden, Germany, Finland, Malta and France are the other EU Member States with GDP per capita above the EU average. Italy, Slovenia, Cyprus and the Czech Republic are less than 10% below this average, followed by Lithuania, Estonia and Spain with between 10% and 20% below average.

The GDP per capita of Poland, Hungary, Portugal, Romania, Latvia and Croatia is up to 30% below the EU average, while Greece and Slovakia are up to 40% below the EU average. Bulgaria's GDP per capita is 41% below the EU average.