Jobspin

According to the data recently published by the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO), the GDP per inhabitant in South Moravia was the second highest among the Czech regions in 2018. Prague has over double the GDP of any other region in the Czech Republic. The Czech capital received the seventh place among the richest regions of the EU in 2017. Photo: Prague / ZM, Jobspin.

Prague, Jan 27 (JS) – Country capitals are heavy hitters in the global economy. Capital cities usually have the highest GDP per inhabitant in a country. Last year, EU statistical office Eurostat published a ranking of the EU regions based on their economic performance in 2017. Prague placed seventh in the whole EU, one rank above Bratislava, capital of neighboring Slovakia.

Chart: GPD per inhabitant expressed in terms of purchasing power standards – Czech Regions. Source: CZSO.

The list of regions with the highest wage levels however does not exactly match the list of the best-performing regions. Experts point out that in some regions, the GDP per inhabitant figures can be significantly influenced by commuter flows.

Chart: Monthly median wages in the Czech Regions in 2018. Source: CZSO.

The Richest Regions in the EU

In 2017, regional GDP per inhabitant ranged from 31% of the EU average (100%) in the Bulgarian region of North-West, to 626% of the average in Inner London – West in the United Kingdom.

The leading regions in the latest Eurostat ranking were:

1. Inner London – West in the United Kingdom (626%),
2. Luxembourg (253%),
3. Southern Ireland (220%),
4. Hamburg in Germany (202%),
5. Brussels Region in Belgium (196%),
6. Eastern & Midland in Ireland (189%),
7. and Prague in the Czech Republic (187%).

Chart: Variation of regional GDP per capita within EU Member States in 2017 in PPS, EU28 = 100. Source: Eurostat.