Real GDP increased in most EU regions in 2023

In 2023, real GDP increased in 154 EU regions compared with 2022, while decreases were registered in 85 regions. 

The region with the largest growth in real GDP was Malta (a single region at this level of detail), with a 6.7% increase, followed by Severen Tsentralen in Bulgaria (+5.8%), Illes Balears and Canarias in Spain, (+5.7% and +5.1%, respectively) and Hovedstaden in Denmark (+5.0%).

Unlike in 2022, when the highest fall in real GDP was 3%, in 2023, there was a 14.1% fall in Vorarlberg in Austria and a 12.9% fall in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. These were followed by Groningen in the Netherlands (-11.1%), the Southern region in Ireland (-10.9%) and Norra Mellansverige in Sweden (-7.7%). 

5 EU regions registered no change in real GDP compared with 2022: Salzburg in Austria, Lüneburg and Thüringen in Germany, Thessalia in Greece and Emilia-Romagna in Italy. 

Source dataset: nama_10r_2gvagr

This information comes from data on regional national accounts published by Eurostat today, based on level 2 of the Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics (NUTS 2).

EU regions with highest GDP per capita: Eastern and Midland in Ireland and Luxembourg 

In 2023, regional GDP per capita expressed in terms of purchasing power standards (PPS) ranged from 27.6% of the EU average in Mayotte, an overseas region in France, to 244.7% in Eastern and Midland Ireland.

After Eastern and Midland Ireland, the leading regions were Luxembourg (236.8% of the EU average) (a single region at this level of detail), Southern Ireland (224.7%), Praha in Czechia (192.8%) and the Belgian Région de Bruxelles Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest (190.6%). The high GDP per capita in these regions (Luxembourg, Brussels and Praha) can be partly explained by a high inflow of commuting workers and by some major multinational enterprises domiciled in the regions (Southern, Eastern and Midland Ireland).

Source dataset: nama_10r_2gdp

In contrast, after Mayotte (27.6%), the regions with the lowest ranking of regional GDP per capita in 2023 were Yuzhen Tsentralen in Bulgaria (41.3% of the EU average) followed by Voreio Aigaio in Greece (42.3%), Guyane in France and Severozapadnoe in Bulgaria (both 42.5%).

For more information

• Thematic section on regional accounts
• Database on regional accounts
• Thematic section on regions and cities
• Database on regional data
• Webinar on regional statistics 
• Podcast on regional statistics

Methodological notes

• In this article, the regional data are presented at level 2 of Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS 2). Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro and North Macedonia are single regions at this level of detail.
• EU countries carried out a coordinated benchmark revision on national accounts data in 2024. For 2023 data, the benchmark revision was not fully implemented in regional accounts for France, North Macedonia and Türkiye.
• English translations of the names of the NUTS 1 and 2 regions.

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