OREANDA-NEWS. Actual Individual Consumption (AIC) is a measure of material welfare of households. Across the Member States in 2014, AIC per capita expressed in Purchasing Power Standards (PPS) varied from 51% of the European Union (EU) average in Bulgaria to 141% in Luxembourg.

These data, published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, are based on revised purchasing power parities, and the latest GDP and population figures.

Ten Member States above the EU average

Ten Member States recorded AIC per capita above the EU average in 2014. The highest level in the EU was recorded in Luxembourg, 41% above the EU average. Germany and Austria were more than 20% above. They were followed by Denmark, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, France and Sweden which all recorded levels between 10% and 15% above the EU average. AIC per capita for twelve Member States lay between the EU average and 30% below. In Italy and Ireland, the levels were less than 10% below the EU average, while Cyprus, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Lithuania were between 10% and 20% below. Malta, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Poland were between 20% and 30% below the average. Six Member States recorded AIC per capita more than 30% below the EU average. Estonia, Latvia, Hungary and Croatia were between 30% and 40% below, while Romania had AIC per capita 43% below the EU average and Bulgaria was around 50% below. Over the last three years, AIC per capita relative to the EU average remained relatively stable in a majority of Member States. However, clear increases have been registered in the three Baltic Member States – Lithuania (81% of the EU average in 2014 compared with 74% in 2012), Latvia (65% vs. 61%) and Estonia (68% vs. 65%) – as well as in the Czech Republic (76% vs. 72%) and Slovakia (77% vs. 73%), while the most noticeable decreases were recorded in Italy (98% in 2014 vs. 103% in 2012) and Cyprus (90% vs. 95%).

GDP per capita varied by one to six across the Member States

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a measure of economic activity. In 2014, GDP per capita expressed in PPS ranged between 47% of the EU average in Bulgaria and 266% in Luxembourg.