Central Hungary only region in country with GDP above EU avg.

In Hungary as a whole, GDP per capita by PPS stood at 68% of the EU average two years ago, according to a report by national news agency MTI. The rate was unchanged from 2016.

Of the seven smaller NUTS 2 regions, the rate in Central Hungary was boosted by the smaller NUTS 3 component Budapest, which had GDP per capita by PPS of 139% of the EU average, as compared to the other component, Pest County, where the rate was only 53%.

Of the three NUTS 1 regions, Transdanubia was the second most developed, although its GDP per capita by PPS was just 60% of the EU average. Within Transdanubia on the NUTS 2 level, the rate was 63% for Central Transdanubia, 45% for Southern Transdanubia, and 72% for Western Transdanubia. 

GDP per capita by PPS was 45% of the EU average in the third NUTS 1 region, Great Plain and North Hungary. Within this, the rate was 48% in the Southern Great Plain, 46% in Northern Hungary, and 43% in the Northern Great Plain, the lowest of the seven Hungarian NUTS 2 regions.

In Central Europe, Hungary was in the middle of the pack in terms of GDP per capita by PPS compared to the EU average. Hungary ranked higher than Croatia (62%) and Romania (63%), but lower than Poland (70%), Slovakia (76%), and the Czech Republic (89%).

The purchasing power standard uses a common currency and eliminates the differences in price levels between countries, noted MTI. Eurostat data show that average GDP per capita in 2017 was EUR 30,000 for the whole EU, but only EUR 12,700 for Hungary, translating to a rate of 42.3% of the EU average.