Turkey's GDP per capita index up in 2020

By Aysu Bicer

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey's gross domestic product (GDP) per capita index based on purchasing power parity (PPP) last year was 62, while the average for EU countries was 100, Turkey’s statistical authority announced on Wednesday.

Though the figure was up 3 points from the figure of 59 in 2019, the index was still 38% below the EU average, the TurkStat data showed.

Among 37 countries involved in the comparison, the country with the highest index of GDP per capita was Luxembourg with 263, while Albania had the lowest, with 30.

Luxembourg had GDP per capita 163% above the EU-27 average, compared to Albania’s, 70% below the average.

The official report includes data from the EU's 27 member states, as well as three European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries (Switzerland, Iceland and Norway), five candidate countries (Turkey, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Albania), one potential candidate country (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and the UK.

Meanwhile, the actual individual consumption (AIC) per capita in Turkey was 68 in 2020, 32% below the EU average.

The AIC consists of goods and services actually paid or purchased by consumers as well as provided freely by governments, or by non-profit organizations.

While GDP per capita is mainly an indicator of the level of economic activity, actual individual consumption per capita is an alternative indicator better adapted to describe the material welfare situation of households.