In 2018, Croatia was second to last among the EU member states in actual individual consumption and GDP per capita, Bulgaria being last, Eurostat and Croatia's national statistical office said on Friday.

Actual individual consumption per capita expressed in purchasing power standards was 36% below the EU average in Croatia last year, as against 38% below in 2017.

Last year Croatia and Hungary were second to last in the EU28. Bulgaria’s actual individual consumption per capita was 44% below the EU average. Latvia was another country whose actual individual consumption was over 30% below the EU average.

In the 2016-18 period, the biggest improvement in actual individual consumption per capita was recorded in Romania, from 35% below the EU average in 2016 to 29% in 2018. The biggest decrease was recorded in Sweden, from 12% above the EU average in 2016 to 8% in 2018.

Another Eurostat estimate shows that in 2018, as in 2017, only ten member states recorded actual individual consumption per capita above the EU average.

The highest level was recorded in Luxembourg, 34% above the EU average, ahead of Germany (20% above). They were followed by Austria, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Finland, Sweden and France with levels of 7% to 17% above the EU average.

Italy had the closest actual individual consumption per capita to the EU average at 2% below. In Ireland, Cyprus and Spain, the levels were 10% or less below the EU average, while Lithuania, Portugal, Czechia and Malta were between 10% and 20% below. Slovenia, Greece, Poland, Estonia, Slovakia and Romania were between 20% and 30% below the average.

In 2018, 11 member states recorded GDP per capita above the EU average. Luxembourg’s was 2.5 times above, followed by Ireland with almost twice the average. In Sweden, Germany, Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands, GDP per capita was between 20% and 29% above the average, in Finland and Belgium it was between 11% and 17% above, and France was 4% above.

In 2018, Malta was the closest to the EU average in GDP per capita at 2% below. Italy, Spain and Czechia recorded levels up to 10% below the average, Cyprus, Lithuania, Slovenia and Estonia were between 10% and 20% below, while Poland, Hungary and Slovakia were up to 30% below.

Croatia, Latvia, Romania and Greece had GDP per capita levels at more than 30% below the EU average. In Croatia, it was 39% below in 2017 and 37% below in 2018. Bulgaria’s level was 49% below in 2018.