Bulgaria has caught up with Greece in terms of purchasing power for the first time, as both countries reached 68% of the European Union average in 2025, Eurostat data showed on March 25.

Gross domestic product per capita, measured in purchasing power standards (PPS), rose in Bulgaria from 66% of the EU average in 2024 to 68% in 2025. Over the same period, Greece’s figure declined by one percentage point to match Bulgaria’s level.

Despite the convergence, Bulgaria remained the poorest EU member state by this measure. Other countries with relatively low GDP per capita in PPS included Latvia at 71%, Slovakia at 75% and Hungary at 76% of the EU average.

The data highlights a significant long-term shift. In 2006, before Bulgaria joined the EU, its GDP per capita stood at just 38% of the bloc’s average, while Greece was at 96%.

Across the EU, average GDP per capita in PPS reached around €41,600 in 2025, continuing a five-year upward trend. The indicator has risen by 36.8% since 2020, when it stood at €30,400.

Ten countries, accounting for roughly a third of the EU population, recorded above-average purchasing power, including Luxembourg, Ireland, Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Malta and Finland.

Meanwhile, countries such as France, Cyprus, Italy, Czech Republic, Spain and Slovenia remained about 10% below the EU average, while Lithuania, Portugal and Poland lagged between 10% and 20%.

Purchasing power standards, an artificial currency used by Eurostat, adjust for price level differences across countries, allowing more accurate comparisons of economic output and living standards.

Bulgaria’s GDP per capita in PPS terms rose sharply from €17,500 in 2020 to €28,300 in 2025, marking a 61.7% increase—well above the EU average growth rate over the same period.