From the dirt poor to the filthy rich

By Judith Crosbie

Date: 01/06/06

The vast difference in wealth between Europe's regions is highlighted in a recent report by the European Commission's statistical office, Eurostat.

Inner London and Brussels come out on top and six Polish regions languish at the bottom in a table of regional wealth, based on 2003 gross domestic product per inhabitant, expressed in terms of purchasing power standards.

Inner London's wealth was 278% of the EU average, Brussels city was 238% while Luxembourg was 234%. Polish regions Lubelskie and Podkarpackie were both 33% of the EU average, with Podlaskie at 36%.

One in seven regions is above 125% of the EU average, including one region from a new member state - Prague in the Czech Republic, which was 138% of the EU average.

One in four regions were below 75% the EU average, including 16 in Poland, seven in the Czech Republic, six in Hungary, five in Greece and Italy, and four each in Germany, France and Portugal.

The table reflects the total economic activity in a region, but does not measure the disparity of wealth among the inhabitants of the region. Nor do the statistics reflect commuter flows into a region (which pushes up the economic power) or commuter flows out of a region (which pushes the economic power down).

Dariusz Kozak of the Opolskiego regional office in Brussels says his region in Poland, which had 37% of the EU average, has a large number of people who cross the border to work in Germany.

"The money they earn is not being registered for this survey and so it looks like the region is poorer than it actually is," he explains.

Ten highest incomes

• Inner London (UK): 278
• Brussels (BE): 238
• Luxembourg: 234
• Hamburg (DE): 184
• Paris (metropolitan) (FR): 173
• Vienna (AT): 171
• Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire (UK): 165
• South Tyrol (IT): 160
• Upper Bavaria (DE): 158
• Stockholm (SE): 158

Indexed data, 100=EU average. Data based on 2003 gross domestic products adjusted for purchasing power parity

Ten lowest incomes

• Lubelskie (PL): 33
• Podkarpackie (PL): 33
• Podlaskie (PL): 36
• Swietokrzyskie (PL): 37
• Warminsko-Mazurskie (PL): 37
• Opolskie (PL): 37
• Iszak Magyaroszág (HU): 38
• Vychodné Slovensko (SK): 39
• Eszag-Alföld (HU): 39
• Dél-Alföld (HU): 40

Indexed data, 100=EU average. Data based on 2003 gross domestic products adjusted for purchasing power parity

Other vital statistics

• Number of NUTS 2 regions: 254
• Highest proportion of third-level education: Inner London (50%)
• Lowest proportion of third-level education: Madeira in Portugal (5.1%)
• Highest proportion of self-employed: Peloponnisos Greece (44.6%)
• Lowest proportion of self-employed: Upper Normandy in France (6.3%)
• Citizens most satisfied with region's green space: Helsinki
• Citizens least satisfied with region's green space: Irakleo (Greece)

Article quotes from a Eurostat News release on disparities in regional GDP across the European Union, listing its richest and poorest regions.
Article is part of a European Voice Special Report, 'Europe's regions'.

Eurostat: News Release No.63, 2006: GDP per inhabitant in 2003 ranged from 33% of the EU25 average in Lubelskie to 278% in Inner London http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/en/web/products-press-releases/-/1-18052006-AP

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