There is a wide range in Portugal's purchasing power levels. Inhabitants of the district (Distrito) of Lisbon have an average purchasing power of €14,145. This equates to a national index of 141.2, which is higher than the European average. By contrast, inhabitants of Ilha do Corvo, a part of the Azores archipelago, have an average per-capita purchasing power of just €6,443 (national index: 64.3). This corresponds to just half of the average European purchasing power.

Purchasing power varies starkly across regions of Ireland and Greece as well, two countries also hard hit by the economic crisis. In Greece, inhabitants of the regional unit with the most purchasing power (North Athens) have an average per-capita purchasing power of €13,805. This is more than twice the sum available to inhabitants of the regional unit of Elis in the northwest of the Peloponnese region. There is around a 47 percent spread in Ireland between the purchasing power in County Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown south of the capital of Dublin and County Donegal in the north.

Southern Europe from Serbia's perspective

Serbia's approximately 7.2 million inhabitants have a purchasing power of just under €22 billion. With a 2013 GfK Purchasing Power of €3,032 per person, Serbia falls significantly below the European average of €12,890. As an EU candidate country, Serbia's economic development is of particular interest. The increase in foreign investors in Serbia demonstrates this country's potential, although it remains at spot 34 in this year's purchasing power rankings.

GfK Purchasing Power levels in Serbia's neighboring countries are heterogeneous: Countries that are already EU members - Romania, Hungary, Croatia - have higher purchasing power. The exception is Bulgaria, which has a purchasing power of €2,919.

Montenegro, also an EU candidate country, has a purchasing power that is almost 50 percent higher than Serbia. Macedonia, another EU candidate country in the region, has a purchasing power of €2,714, placing it four spots behind Serbia. Inhabitants of the other EU candidate countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo have significantly less purchasing power.

Serbia and neighbors

Source: © GfK Purchasing Power Europe 2013/2014 *Index per inhab.; European average = 100

About the study

Purchasing power is a measure of per-capita disposable income (including any received state benefits) after the deduction of taxes and charitable contributions. The study indicates per-person, per-year purchasing power levels in euros and as an index value. GfK purchasing power figures reflect the nominal disposable income, meaning that the values have not been adjusted for inflation. The study draws on statistics on income and tax levels, government benefits and forecasts by economic institutes.

GfK purchasing power is used by the population for consumer purchases as well as recurring monthly expenses such as rent, energy costs, contributions to private retirement funds and insurance policies as well as other expenses such as traveling and transportation costs.

The GfK Purchasing Power Europe study is calculated annually for 42 European countries, providing comprehensive coverage down to the level of municipalities and postcodes. The 2013/2014 study also includes data on inhabitants and households and is available immediately via GfK’s geomarketing solution area. GfK also offers seamlessly fitting digital maps for all of Europe.

Internationally active companies need accurate predictions of the amount of money available to consumers in their markets. GfK Purchasing Power Europe provides this information and supports expansion planning, branch network optimization and controlling.

Additional informationon
GfK Purchasing Power Europe can be found at www.gfk.com/marketdata.Print-quality illustrations can be found at www.gfk.com/news-and-events/press-room/press-releases/Documents/Geomarketing/Purchasing-Power_Europe.zip. About GfKGfK is one of the world’s largest research companies, with around 13,000 experts working to discover new insights into the way people live, think and shop, in over 100 markets, every day. GfK is constantly innovating and using the latest technologies and the smartest methodologies to give its clients the clearest understanding of the most important people in the world: their customers. In 2012, GfK’s sales amounted to €1.51 billion.To find out more, visit www.gfk.com.



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