Bulgaria ranks last among the 27 EU member countries in terms of GDP per inhabitant for 2007 with 38% of EU's average, Eurostat data show.

Bulgaria is outpaced by Romania with 41% of EU's average GDP per inhabitant, Poland (54%) and Latvia (58%).

Even though Serbia is not a member of the EU the country is not far behind Bulgaria as its GDP per inhabitant stood at 35% of EU's average. Albania and Macedonia, which also are not members of the EU, trail significantly behind Bulgaria with 22% and 29% of EU's average, respectively.

The GDP per inhabitant exceeded EU's average in a total of 13 countries. It remained below the average level in 14 countries. These included mainly the countries accepted in the EU in 2004 and Bulgaria and Romania, which became members in 2007.

Apart from the Eastern Bloc countries, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal, which are regarded as the poorest of the oldest EU members, also were below the average level for the union in terms of GDP per inhabitant.

Croatia, which is expected to become the next EU member also overtook Bulgaria in terms of GDP per inhabitant with 55% of EU's average. The figure even exceeds that of Poland.

Turkey also ranks higher than Bulgaria even though it is not included in the ranking as it is not an EU member. The GDP per inhabitant in Turkey stood at 42% of EU's average in 2007.

The highest levels of GDP per inhabitant in the EU was registered in Luxembourg – 276% of EU's average. Ireland followed with 146% of EU's average. The GDP per inhabitant in Finland and the United Kingdom stood at 116% of EU's average, while in Italy it amounted to 101%.

CountryIndexCountryIndexLuxembourg276Malta77Ireland146Portugal75Netherlands131Estonia72Austria128Slovakia69Sweden126Hungary63Denmark123Lithuania60Belgium118Latvia58Finland116Poland54Uited Kingdom116Romania41Germany113Bulgaria38France111Croatia55Spain107Turkey42Italy101Macedonia29EU100Norway184Greece98Switzerland137Cyprus93Iceland129Slovenia89Serbia35Czech Republic82Albania22

Data by Eurostat