site.btaBulgaria with Lowest Actual Individual Consumption per Capita in EU in 2022

EU Member States report significant differences in their actual individual consumption levels in 2022. They range from 67% of the EU average in Bulgaria to 138% in Luxembourg, according to the latest data from Eurostat published on the agency's website on Tuesday.

In Bulgaria, actual individual consumption per capita, expressed in purchasing power standards, reached 67% of the EU average in 2022, up from 65% recorded in 2021 and 58% in the pre-pandemic 2019.

Actual individual consumption includes goods and services that are actually consumed by the citizens of a country, whether they are bought and paid for by households, the State or non-profit organisations. The indicator is seen as a proxy for the material well-being of households, the statistics agency's experts explain.

Last year, nine Member States had higher than EU average actual per capita individual consumption, expressed in purchasing power standards. The highest levels were recorded in Luxembourg (38% above the EU average), Germany (19% above the EU average) and Austria (18% above the EU average).

Meanwhile, 18 Member States reported lower than EU average actual individual consumption per capita in purchasing power standards, with Bulgaria (33% below EU average), Hungary (28% below EU average) and Slovakia (27% below EU average) having the lowest levels.

In terms of gross domestic product per capita (GDP), Bulgaria ranked last in the EU, at 59% of the EU average. Slovakia and Greece performed slightly better (68% of the EU average for each).

In terms of GDP per capita, our country improved in 2022 by 2 percentage points compared to 2021 and by 6 percentage points compared to 2019.

Luxembourg (161% of the EU average), Ireland (133% of the EU average) and Denmark (37% of the EU average) had the highest GDP per capita relative to the EU average.