In 2017, Croatia, Bulgaria and Hungary were the European Union member states with the lowest consumption per capita across the European Union, EU statistics office Eurostat said on Tuesday.

Only ten member states were above the EU average in 2017, same as in 2016, according to the preliminary estimates.

The highest level of Actual Individual Consumption (AIC) per capita expressed in Purchasing Power Standards (PPS) was recorded in Luxembourg, 30 percent above EU average. Germany and Austria were around 20 percent above average, followed by the UK, Finland, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, France, and Sweden, which all recorded levels between 9 and 14 percent above the EU average.

Italy was closest to the average, with 2 percent below.

Hungary and Croatia had AIC per capita just under 40 percent below the EU average, and Bulgaria was 45 percent below. Croatia was second to last among the member states in terms of ACI per capita as expressed in PPS, 39 percent below the EU. Bulgaria was last with 41 percent below.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, a measure of economic activity, also shows substantial differences between the EU member states. In 2017, GDP per capita expressed in PPS was again highest in Luxembourg, two and a half times above the average.

Ireland was second, nearly twice above the average, followed by the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Germany and Sweden, with GDP per capita about 25 percent above the average.

Italy, Malta and Spain were up to 10 percent below the average.

Croatia is second to last in GDP per capita, 39 percent below the average. In 2016, it was 41 percent below. Bulgaria is last with 51 percent below the average.

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