EU wealth rankings: Athens missing from the top tier

The wealth ranking is based on data from Eurostat, processed by DataPulse, where EU regions are ranked according to GDP per capita in purchasing power standards (PPS), an indicator that takes into account differences in the cost of living between countries.

The strong performance of Ireland and Luxembourg is largely linked to the presence of multinational corporations, which record a significant share of their profits in these jurisdictions. In Ireland in particular, this results in GDP per capita appearing significantly higher than what is reflected in actual household consumption or income levels. Economists describe this phenomenon as “GDP distortion,” as profits generated internationally are recorded for accounting purposes at a local level.

Many of Europe’s wealthiest regions are concentrated around capital cities and major economic centres, such as Prague, Brussels, Paris, and Copenhagen. These regions benefit from the concentration of government institutions, high value-added services, corporate headquarters, and financial activities, functioning as economic hubs that attract investment, infrastructure, and highly skilled labour.

However, it is noteworthy that several capitals in Central and Eastern Europe outperform regions belonging to larger Western European economies.

Particularly notable are the performances of Bucharest and Budapest. Both capitals rank among the wealthiest regions in the EU, despite Romania and Hungary remaining significantly lower in the overall ranking of member states. Economic activity is highly concentrated in these urban centres, where multinational companies and high-value services substantially enhance productivity.