"GfK Purchasing Power Europe" study tracks Europeans' consumer potential in crisis-ridden 2009

The recently updated "GfK Purchasing Power Europe 2009/2010" study reveals the regional distribution of purchasing power in 41 European countries. This year's study illuminates the repercussions of the economic crisis in affected countries such as Ireland and Iceland. The purchasing power data also reveal the European regions in which sales and marketing activities promise most return on investment.

Europeans have approximately 8 trillion (8 million millions) euros of income available for consumer purchases in 2009. This figure includes government pay-outs such as unemployment benefit, child benefit and pensions. This corresponds to an average purchasing power of €11,699 per inhabitant for the 41 countries under review. Purchasing power levels vary significantly according to region. For example, Norwegians enjoy a per capita income of €20,535, while Bulgarians command on average only €2,850 per person. The east-west divide remains clearly discernible: Efforts among central and eastern European countries to close the gap between themselves and Western Europe markedly decelerated in 2009 due to the economic downturn. The ranking sequence of countries in Western Europe has also changed. For example, Slovenia now outpaces Portugal with a per capita purchasing power of approximately €10,060. Despite the improvement, this figure still lies €1,600 below the European average.


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