Economic developments: GDP per capita growth in Member States

Uneven developments in average living standards in Member States

Figure 1.2 shows for each Member State, the EU28, the EU15 and the euro area, the forecasted real GDP per capita growth rate for 2018 and compares it with the average annual real output per capita growth rates for the 2008– 2012 and 2013–2017 periods, as well as with the currently forecasted average annual growth rates for 2019–2020. Countries are ranked according to the strength of their output growth during the recovery period.

The recovery in real output per capita growth (in the 2013–2017 and 2017–2018 periods) was uneven across EU Member States. Some of the countries whose output per capita growth rates declined the most between 2008 and 2012 experienced relatively stronger growth rates from 2013 onwards, while others, most notably in southern Europe, experienced below average recovery despite their great output losses during the crisis.

more information in Benchmarking Working Europe 2019 chapter 1 'Macroeconomic developments in Europe: tackling the growth, inequality and climate change challenges'