The GDP per capita in the A.C of the Basque Country reached 140.6 of the European Union-27 average (Index = 100) purchasing power parity (PPP) in 2007, according to Eustat data gathered after the first Eurostat estimate for EU-27 countries in 2007. The Spanish average was at 106.9.

The Basque GDP per capita in 2007 is the highest out of all the Spanish Autonomous Communities, followed by the Community of Madrid and then the Provincial Community of Navarra.

If compared to European Union countries, the A.C of the Basque Country would come in third place, right behind Luxemburg (276.4) and Ireland (146.3). Holland would then follow in fourth (130.9) and then Austria (128.2). In the last year the distance between the A.C of the Basque Country and Ireland, the country that precedes it on the list, was cut from 9.6 percentage points in 2006 to almost half that number, 5.7 percentage points, in 2007.

If a retrospective analysis of the evolution of each country’s GDP per capita were to be done, it would be observed that Luxemburg would lead the pack and that it is the country that has grown the most; growing twice as much as the other countries.

The following group comes in behind Luxemburg for the most growth in the last decade: The A.C of the Basque Country (24.9 percentage points more in 2007 than in 1998), Estonia (+29.7), Ireland (+24.7), Latvia (+22.3) and Lithuania (+20.1).

If you take out Luxemburg and Ireland, the leading countries in terms of GDP per capita in 1998 have seen the largest declines for that indicator. Italy is the most notable among that group, losing 18.6 percentage points as they went from a GDP per capita of 120.0 of the EU -27 average in 1998 to 101.4 in 2007, just slightly above the Community average. The other wealthy countries that have lost their position in the last decade are: Germany (-9.5 percentage points), Denmark (-9.4), Belgium (-5.0%), Austria (-4.8%) and France (-4.0).

Additionally losing their positions in terms of GDP per capita are the economies of the United States (-4.5 percentage points) and Japan (-7.2).

GDP Per capita (PPP) by country and year (EU 27=100). 1998 and 2007 (1)

Source: EUSTAT and EUROSTAT.