Press release dated 19/04/2011

ECONOMIC ACCOUNTS – MUNICIPAL GDP of the Basque Country 2008

Zamudio, Olaberria and Zierbena were the municipalities with the highest GDP per capita in the Basque Country

However, three regions of Alava- the Rioja Alavesa, Estribaciones del Gorbea and Valles Alaveses- were the ones with the highest GDP per inhabitant

The Zamudio municipality (Bizkaia) had the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of the Basque Country, with an index of 975 out of the benchmark value of 100 for the Basque Country, according to EUSTAT data. The municipalities of Olaberria (906) and Zierbena (876), in Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia respectively, were in second and third place.

Legutiano was the municipality in Álava with the highest GDP per capita and was fourth in terms of the Autonomous Community overall.

In terms of the sector distribution of that GDP in each municipality, the GDP of Zamudio was mainly in the service sector (49.2%), followed by the industrial sector (47.1%), both of which were associated to the business activity of the Technological Park. A common characteristic to the three municipalities with the highest GDP per capita was the meagre role of the primary sector. In contrast to the Zamudio structure, the weight of the industrial sector in Olaberria and Zierbena is noteworthy (around 85%), with the service sector accounting for 15.6% in Olaberria and 9.1% in Zierbena.



By regions, the three regions with the highest GDP per capita were in the province of Álava, with first place going to the Rioja Alavesa, with an index of 188, which was based on the strength of the wine industry and its low population density. Within this district, Laguardia (352) and Villabuena de Álava/Eskuernaga (231) are the standard bearers of these good results.

The regions of Estribaciones del Gorbea (181) and Valles Alaveses (162) were in second and third place. The Alto Deba region in Gipuzkoa (132) and the Duranguesado (122) in Bizkaia were in fourth and fifth place respectively.

Particularly noteworthy in the case of all these district is the high percentage of the total value added from industry, around 55% on average compared to 27.9% for the total for the Basque Country. On the other hand, the service sector has less weight (around 35%) compared to 62.2% for the Basque Country overall.

With regard to the evolution of the GDP per capita between 1996 and 2008, the municipalities of Zierbena in Bizkaia and Arama in Gipuzkoa were the ones that registered greatest growth in its GDP per capita, with accumulative annual average increases of 32.1% and 22.2% respectively.

Other significant increases were recorded by Derio (14.6%) in Bizkaia, Bernedo (14.2%) in Álava, and Olaberria (14.2%) in Gipuzkoa.

From the perspective of productivity, based on the GDP of the Basque Country per employed person ratio, in other words, the number of people employed in the companies located in each municipality instead of its population, the municipalities in first place were Zierbena (581) in Bizkaia and Olaberria (251) in Gipuzkoa, followed in third and fourth place by the municipalities of Zambrana (245) in Álava and Fruiz (210) in Bizkaia, respectively.



As far as the provincial districts were concerned, Goierri in Gipuzkoa and Cantábrica Alavesa were the districts with the highest GDP per employed person, with an index of 119, followed by the Rioja Alavesa, in third position with an index of 116. The region with the highest GDP per employed person in Bizkaia was the Duranguesado (107).

With regard to the three provincial capitals, it should be pointed out that over 85% of the GDP of Bilbo and Donostia-San Sebastián was generated by the service sector, unlike Vitoria-Gasteiz where that percentage was around 64%. The contribution of the industrial sector was likewise higher in Vitoria-Gasteiz (26.7%) than in Bilbao (6.5%) and Donostia-San Sebastián (6.8%).

For further information:

Basque Statistics Office C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Tel:+34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es Contact: Jose Javier Aramburu Tel:+34-945-01 75 80 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 More press releases on Economic Accounts – Municipal GDP of the Basque Country Databank on Economic Accounts – Municipal GDP of the Basque Country