Consumption level in EU varies substantially in 2014

An official indicator issued on Friday showed that consumption levels varied hugely among the 28 European Union (EU) member states.

According to Eurostat, the EU's statistical body, the latest data measuring the material welfare of households was billed as Actual Individual Consumption (AIC).

The highest level of AIC per capita in the block was recorded in Luxembourg, at 41 percent above the EU average. Germany and Austria were more than 20 percent above the average and Denmark, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, France and Sweden recorded levels between 10 percent and 15 percent above the average.

Meanwhile, six EU member states recorded AIC per capita more than 30 percent below the EU average. Estonia, Latvia, Hungary and Croatia were between 30 and 40 percent below, while Romania had AIC per capita 43 percent below the EU average and Bulgaria was around 50 percent below.

Eurostat said gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, a measure of economic activity, also shows substantial differences between the EU member states.

In 2014, GDP per capita expressed in purchasing power standards (PPS) ranged between 47 percent of the EU average in Bulgaria to 266 percent in Luxembourg. Endit