The region Bucharest-Ilfov is the most developed region in Romania, with a GDP per capita of 131% of the European average.

Bucharest thus surpasses other European capitals such as Athens, where the GDP per capita reaches 98% of the EU average, Madrid (128%), Berlin (113%), or Budapest (108%), according to an analysis by the foundation Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Romania, cited by local Agerpres.

However, the rest of Romania has a GDP per capita of only 54% of the European average. The situation is even worse in regions such as the North-East, where the GDP per capita amounts to 34% or the South region, with 41%.

The over-centralization of the country’s economy in the capital is a particularity of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Nevertheless, no other country in the region records such a big income gap between the capital and the rest of the country.

In 2012, the average income per household amounted to EUR 6,300 in Bucharest, whereas it reached EUR 2,700 in the South and the Southeast regions.

The Social Monitor is a project launched by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Romania, which shows where Romania stands compared to other states for the income difference between the capital and the rest of the country.

editor@romania-insider.com