Data from May 2025.
Planned article update: July 2026.
Highlights
In 2024, the highest median annual income among the enlargement countries was observed in Türkiye (9 527 purchasing power standards (PPS) per capita), at about 45% of the level in the EU (21 253 PPS per capita).
Income disparities are greater in the enlargement countries than in the EU. The most recent Gini coefficients range from 46.6 in Kosovo (2018) to 31.4 in North Macedonia (2020), compared with 29.3 in the EU (2024).
The trend in the harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) in enlargement countries followed a similar pattern to that in the EU between 2014 and 2024. The exception was Türkiye, with HICP growing on average 25.6% per year with a spike of 72.3% in 2022.
Between 2014 and 2024, the proportion of people at risk of poverty after social transfers decreased slightly in all enlargement countries, with some fluctuations. The same applied to the EU, however at a significantly lower level (16.2%, 2024).
This article is part of an online publication and provides information on living conditions for the enlargement countries and compares this with the corresponding data for the European Union (EU).
For the articles forming this online publication, only data are used which have been submitted to and validated by Eurostat's subject matter units following the same process as for the EU countries. For Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, data for living conditions are not yet transmitted this way and are therefore currently not available. However, these countries are presented in the Statistics Explained articles for ENP-East countries, which are based on data supplied by and under the responsibility of the national statistical authorities of each country on a voluntary basis. Consequently, because of these separate processes, this inevitably leads to differences in data coverage between the two sets of articles.
The article includes information on median equivalised disposable income and the Gini coefficient, the harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP), long-term unemployment rate and the at-risk-of-poverty rate.
Median equivalised annual net income (PPS per capita)
Equivalised income adjusts a household’s total income based on its size and composition to allow fair comparisons between different households. It uses a standard scale where adults and children are given different weights to reflect shared living costs. Income is expressed in purchasing power standards (PPS) which is a unit that takes account of price-level differences between countries, thus making the information more comparable.
Table 1 compares the median annual net income expressed in PPS per capita in the enlargement countries and in the EU for the years 2014-2024.
The highest median annual income among the enlargement countries over the period was observed in Türkiye in 2024 (9 527 PPS per capita), at about 45% of the level in the EU in the same year (which stood at 21 253 PPS per capita). The fluctuations in the purchasing power of income in Türkiye were linked to the high inflation rate. The increase compared to 2023 was almost 35%. Data for 2024 is not yet available for any other enlargement country. However, in the most recent years before 2024, Türkiye's median annual income was lower than that of Serbia and Montenegro.
Serbia had the highest median annual income among the enlargement countries for which data were available before 2024, at 7 752 PPS per capita in 2023. The median annual income in 2022 in Montenegro (more recent data not available) was just slightly lower than in Serbia that year, at 7 309 PPS per capita.
The median annual income grew from 4 097 PPS per capita in 2014 to 5 988 PPS per capita in 2020 (more recent data not available) in North Macedonia. In Albania it grew from 3 589 PPS per capita in 2017 to 4 275 PPS per capita in 2021 (more recent data not available), i.e. less than a quarter of the EU level (18 014 PPS per capita in 2021).
Only data for 2018 are available for Kosovo[1]. In that year, Kosovo had the lowest median annual income (3 953 PPS per capita) among the enlargement countries, although not far less than Albania which had a median annual income of 4 003 PPS per capita that year.
Data are not available for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Between 2014 and 2024, the median annual income in the EU grew from 15 103 PPS per capita to 21 253 PPS per capita. Although the medium annual income in the enlargement countries was significantly lower than in the EU, ranging from 22% of the EU level in Albania (2017) to 45% in Türkiye (2024), several countries experienced faster medium income growth than the EU over the periods for which data are available. Whereas the medium annual income in the EU grew by 41% between 2014 and 2024, it increased by 75% in Türkiye over the same period and 68 % in Serbia (2014-2023). North Macedonia also recorded a more rapid growth than the EU, with 46%, although the available data on medium annual income only cover the period 2014-2020.
.png)
Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income
The Gini coefficient measures inequality in how income is distributed within a country. Higher values of the coefficient indicate greater income inequality: if the Gini coefficient is 0, everyone has the same income; a coefficient of 100 means that one household has all the income.
Figure 1 presents the Gini coefficients for equivalised disposable income, i.e. the total income of a household, after tax and other deductions, that is available for spending or saving, divided by the number of household members converted into equalised adults; household members are equalised (made equivalent) by weighting each according to their age, using the so-called modified OECD equivalence scale. Gini coefficients are presented for the period 2014 to 2024.
Gini coefficients for all the enlargement countries were higher than in the EU, suggesting that income disparities were greater in these countries. In the most recent year for which data were available for each enlargement country, coefficients ranged from 31.4 in North Macedonia (2020 data) to 46.6 in Kosovo (2018 data). The Gini coefficient in Montenegro (2022 data) was 31.5; in Serbia (2023) 31.7; in Albania (2021) 33.0 and in Türkiye (2024) 44.8. Data are not available for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Over the period 2014-2024, there was a general downward trend in Gini coefficients, although data for 2024 are only available for Türkiye and the EU. This indicated reduced income disparities, both within the EU and among enlargement countries, although with Türkiye as an exception.
Serbia reported the largest decrease in the Gini coefficient, with a reduction of 17.2% from 38.3 in 2014 to 31.7 in 2023. In Montenegro, the Gini coefficient dropped by 13.7% between 2015 and 2022. North Macedonia experienced a decline of 10.8% between 2014 and 2020, while Albania saw a decrease of 10.3% between 2017 and 2021. Türkiye, on the other hand, reported an increase from 41.2 in 2014 to 44.8 in 2024, representing a rise of 8.7%, with a peak at 45.3 in 2022 (+10.0% compared to 2014).
In the EU, the Gini coefficient declined gradually from 30.9 in 2014 to 29.3 in 2024, with minor increases in 2018 and 2021, amounting to 5.2% overall decrease between 2014 and 2024.
Harmonised index of consumer prices
A consumer price index (CPI), is an indicator that measures changes in the price level of a basket of goods and services purchased by households. The index is used to assess inflation in an economy. The harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) is used to provide a consistent CPI for the EU as a whole and one that is directly comparable between countries.
Figure 2 presents the HICP (2015=100) for the enlargement countries and the EU. It should be noted that, except for the EU data, conformity with HICP methodological requirements has not been evaluated by Eurostat.
With the exception of Türkiye, the trend in the harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) in enlargement countries followed a similar pattern to that observed in the EU, as illustrated by the mostly overlapping lines in the chart. There was a period of moderate price growth from 2015 to 2019, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic crisis, which led to a slowdown in inflation in many countries in 2020. This was succeeded by a rebound with stronger increases in 2021 and 2022 linked to the economic recovery from the pandemic and supply chain disruptions. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022 further exacerbated consumer price pressures, resulting in even sharper increases in inflation. Finally, the years 2023 and 2024 saw a gradual decrease in HICP towards lower levels, though still higher than those observed in the pre-Covid period.
From 2015 to 2019, HICP year-on-year changes in the enlargement countries (except Türkiye) ranged from 0.5% (Montenegro, 2019) to 3.4% (Serbia, 2017). In 2020, most of these countries, including Türkiye but excluding Albania and North Macedonia, saw lower annual increases in the HICP compared with previous years. In 2021, the HICP increased significantly, ranging from 2.3% in Albania to 4.1% in Serbia, with Türkiye experiencing a 19.6 % rise. In 2022, the HICP rose by over 11% in all enlargement countries, except for Albania, which saw a 6.6% increase.
In Türkiye, the trend in the HICP exhibited an almost exponential increase. The index value rose from 92.8 in 2014 to approximately ten times higher, reaching 905.2 in 2024. This corresponded to an overall increase of 875.3% over this period, or an annual average growth of 25.6%. This trend reflected almost exponentially rising year-on-year changes in the HICP in Türkiye, ranging from 7.7% in 2014 to 58.5% in 2024, with a notable outlier of 72.3% in 2022.
.png)
(index 2015 = 100)
Source: Eurostat (prc_hicp_aind)
Long-term unemployment rate
The Long-term unemployment rate represents the percentage of the labour force (which includes both employed and unemployed people) that is unemployed and has been actively seeking employment for at least a year. Unemployment results in a loss of income, and if it persists long-term it increases the risk of falling into poverty. The data cover persons aged 15 to 74 years.
Figure 3 shows the long-term unemployment rate in the years 2014 to 2024 for the enlargement countries and the EU. Data for Albania and Kosovo are not available.
In general, the long-term unemployment rate decreased steadily over the period, both in the enlargement countries and in the EU, with a few exceptions (Türkiye and Montenegro).
Montenegro started with a rate at 14.0% in 2014, which had fallen to 11.4% by 2018. However, the rate began to rise in 2019 (before the Covid-19 pandemic), reaching 13.4% in 2020 (more recent data not available).
North Macedonia and Serbia stood out with the largest reductions in the long-term unemployment rate. The highest long-term unemployment rate was observed in North Macedonia in 2014 (23.3%). The rate decreased rapidly to 12.4% in 2019 and remained at that level also in 2020 (more recent data not available). Over the period 2014-2020, this represented a change in the long-term unemployment rate of -10.9 percentage points (pp).
The rate declined considerably also in Serbia, from the initial 12.5% (2014) to 3.4% in 2024. This corresponded to a reduction in the rate of -9.1 pp over the period. As can be seen from Figure 3, this decrease was gradual, with the long-term unemployment rate falling by between 1.8 pp (2014) and 0.1 pp (2023) year-by-year, except a small increase (0.6 pp) in 2021.
Only information for the years 2021 – 2023 are available for Bosnia and Herzegovina, showing a close to linear decrease from 13.4% in 2021 to 9.6% in 2023.
The opposite trend was observed in Türkiye, which had a very low long-term unemployment rate in 2014 (2.0%), which grew continuously to reach 3.7% in 2020 (2.8 % in the EU), to gradually decrease again to 1.7% in 2024. Türkiye had the lowest rate among the enlargement countries in every year of the observed period for which data is available, and the rate was lower than in the EU during large parts of the period.
In the EU the long-term unemployment rate went down steadily from 5.4% in 2014 to 1.9% in 2024, with only a minor increase to 2.8% in 2021 (0.4 pp more than in 2020).
.png)
Risk of poverty
The at-risk-of-poverty rate measures the share of people that have equivalised disposable income below the national at-risk-of-poverty threshold. The at-risk-of-poverty threshold is set at 60 % of the national median equivalised disposable income; it is thus defined separately for each country.
This indicator can be calculated either before social transfers or after social transfers. The difference between the two reflects the proportion of the population moved above the threshold as a result of receiving social transfers. Social transfers include items such as pensions, unemployment benefits, family benefits, sickness benefits, housing allowances, as well as other social assistance and benefits.
As the poverty threshold is set independently for each enlargement country, the indicator reflects low income in comparison with other residents in the same economy. This does not necessarily imply an extremely low standard of living.
The most recent data from the enlargement countries on the proportion of the population at risk of poverty after social transfers ranged from 19.9% in Serbia in 2023 to 27.9% in Kosovo (2018 data), with Montenegro (20.3%; 2022 data), North Macedonia (21.8%; 2020 data), Albania (22.0%; 2021 data) and Türkiye (22.2%; 2024 data) also falling within this range. All were higher than in the EU, where the proportion in 2024 was 16.2%.
Data are not available for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
As illustrated in Figure 4, the trend in the proportion at risk of poverty after social transfers exhibits a slight decrease, notwithstanding some fluctuations. In all enlargement countries with at least two observations between 2014 and 2024, the most recent data was lower than the earliest observation. This pattern is also observed within the EU; however, the percentage of persons at risk of relative poverty after transfers is significantly lower in the EU than in these countries.
The most significant decrease in the proportion of the population at risk of poverty after social transfers was observed in Serbia, where it declined by more than 5 pp from 25.0% in 2014 to 19.9% in 2023, after peaking at 26.7% in 2015. Montenegro experienced a decline of nearly 4 pp, from 24.1% in 2014 to 20.3% in 2022. The reductions were more modest in Türkiye, Albania, and North Macedonia.
In the EU the proportion of the population at risk of poverty after social transfers decreased by about 1 pp from 17.3% in 2014 to 16.2 in 2024.
.png)
(% of total population)
Source: Eurostat (ilc_li02)
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources
The data used in this article are mainly derived from EU statistics on income and living conditions (EU-SILC), which is the main source of statistics that measures income and living conditions in Europe. EU-SILC collects timely and comparable data on income, poverty, social inclusion and living conditions, in both monetary and non-monetary terms.
Among the enlargement countries, Türkiye started the full implementation of EU-SILC in 2006, while North Macedonia launched it in 2010, Montenegro and Serbia in 2013, Albania in 2017, Kosovo in 2018 and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2022.
The legal basis for this data collection exercise is Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 establishing a common framework for European statistics relating to persons and households, based on data at individual level collected from samples (Integrated European Social Statistics – IESS).
Information concerning the current statistical legislation on income and living conditions can be found in the 'Legislation' section of the dedicated section on 'Income and living conditions' on Eurostat's website.
The main source for European labour force statistics is the European Union labour force survey (EU LFS). This household survey is carried out in all EU Member States in accordance with European legislation and provides figures at least every quarter.
Among the enlargement countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye have implemented the EU-LFS instrument and conduct the labour force survey according to the same guidelines, methodology and standards as the EU countries.
Information concerning the current statistical legislation on statistics on employment and unemployment can be found in the 'Legislation' section of the dedicated section on 'Employment and unemployment (Labour Force Survey – LFS)' on Eurostat's website.
The harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) measures the changing cost of a fixed basket of goods and services over time. The HICP is computed as a 'Laspeyres-type price index' according to harmonised definitions. It is an important basis for comparisons of consumer price inflation in the EU. National HICP data are calculated by the national statistical institutes, while the country-special aggregates and the European aggregates are produced by Eurostat.
Eurostat publishes HICP data for several of the enlargement countries. Consumer price indices that classify product according to the European Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (ECOICOP) are available for Albania since 2015, Montenegro since 2014, North Macedonia since 2004, Serbia since 2005 and Kosovo since 2015. However, the conformity of these data with the methodological requirements of HICP has not been evaluated by Eurostat.
Information concerning the current statistical legislation on the harmonised indices of consumer prices can be found in the 'Legislation' section of the dedicated section on 'Harmonised indices of consumer prices (HICP)' on Eurostat's website.
While basic principles and institutional frameworks for producing statistics are already in place, the enlargement countries are expected to progressively increase the volume and quality of their data and to transmit these data to Eurostat in the context of the EU enlargement process. EU standards in the field of statistics require the existence of a statistical infrastructure based on principles such as professional independence, impartiality, relevance, confidentiality of individual data and easy access to official statistics; they cover methodology, classifications and standards for production.
Eurostat has the responsibility to ensure that statistical production of the enlargement countries complies with the EU acquis in the field of statistics. To do so, Eurostat supports the national statistical offices and other producers of official statistics through a range of initiatives, such as pilot surveys, training courses, traineeships, study visits, workshops and seminars, and participation in meetings within the European Statistical System. The ultimate goal is the provision of harmonised, high-quality data that conforms to European and international standards.
Additional information on statistical cooperation with the enlargement countries is provided in the Statistics explained background article Enlargement policy and statistical cooperation.
Context
Rising costs of living have a direct and indirect impact on the general population, but in particular on vulnerable groups such as the elderly, people with disabilities, young people, low-wage earners, part-time workers and people with precarious work contracts. In recent years, pressure on living conditions of households has increased through rising consumer prices, together with a generally uncertain economic environment.
The EU and the EU Member States operate an open method of coordination for social protection and social inclusion. This aims to promote social cohesion and equality through adequate, accessible and financially sustainable social protection systems and social inclusion policies. As such, the EU provides a framework for national strategy development, as well as the opportunity to discuss and learn from best practices and to coordinate policies between EU Member States in areas such as building a fairer and more inclusive EU, social protection and social inclusion, and pensions.
At the start of March 2021, the European Commission outlined its ambition for an EU that focuses on education, skills and jobs for the future and targets a fair, inclusive and resilient socioeconomic recovery. The European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan outlines a range of actions designed to promote social rights through the active involvement of social partners and civil society. It also proposes employment, skills and social protection headline targets for the EU. One of the headline targets relates specifically to living conditions, namely that the number of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion should decrease by at least 15 million persons (of which, at least five million should be children) between 2019 and 2030. The Action Plan highlights how the principles of the social pillar might be implemented, with the aim of building a stronger social Europe by 2030.
Footnotes
- This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence. ↑
Explore further
Other articles
- Enlargement countries — statistical overview — online publication
- Statistical cooperation — online publication
- Living conditions in Europe - poverty and social exclusion — online publication
- Living conditions in Europe - income distribution and income inequality — online publication
Database
- Income and living conditions (ilc)
- Income distribution and monetary poverty (ilc_ip)
- Living conditions (ilc_lv)
- Labour market (labour), see:
- Employment and unemployment (employ)
- LFS main indicators (lfsi)
- Prices (prc), see:
Thematic section
Publications
- Factsheets
- Basic figures on the candidate countries and potential candidate – Factsheets – 2023 edition
- Basic figures on Western Balkans and Turkey – Factsheets – 2022 edition
- Basic figures on enlargement countries – Factsheets – 2021 edition
- Leaflets
- Basic figures on enlargement countries – 2020 edition
Methodology
- Income and living conditions (ilc) (ESME metadata file — ilc)
- Employment and unemployment (Labour force survey) (employ) (ESME metadata file — employ)
- LFS main indicators (lfsi) (ESME metadata file — lfsi)
- LFS series - detailed annual survey results (lfsa) (ESME metadata file — lfsa)
- Harmonised index of consumer prices (HICP) (prc_hicp) (ESME metadata file — prc_hicp)
External links
- European Commission: Social protection & social inclusion
- European Commission: Addressing poverty and supporting social inclusion
- European Commission: Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL)
- European Commission: Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood
- European Commission: Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST)
Legislation
- Working together, working better: a new framework for the open coordination of social protection and inclusion policies in the European Union (COM(2005) 706 final)
Framework Regulation on Integrated European Social Statistics (IESS)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 establishing a common framework for European statistics relating to persons and households (Integrated European Social Statistics – IESS)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/2180 specifying the detailed arrangements and content for the quality reports pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 (structure of quality reports elated to datasets to be transmitted to Eurostat)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/2181 specifying technical characteristics as regards items common to several datasets pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 (technical characteristics of the statistical populations and observation units, descriptions of variables and of the statistical classifications)
- Regulation (EU) 2020/256 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 by establishing a multiannual rolling planning (data collections for all domains from 2021 until 2028)
European survey on income and living conditions (EU-SILC)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/2242 specifying the technical items of data sets, establishing the technical formats and specifying the detailed arrangements and content of the quality reports on the organisation of a sample survey in the income and living conditions domain pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/1700
- Regulation (EU) 2020/258 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 by specifying the number and the titles of the variables for the income and living conditions domain
European labour force survey (EU-LFS)
- Regulation (EU) 2019/2240 specifying the technical items of the data set, establishing the technical formats for transmission of information and specifying the detailed arrangements and content of the quality reports on the organisation of a sample survey in the labour force domain in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/1700
- Regulation (EU) 2020/257 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 by specifying the number and the title of the variables for the labour force domain
Harmonised indices of consumer prices (HICP)
- Regulation (EU) 2016/792 on harmonised indices of consumer prices and the house price index
- Regulation (EU) 2020/1148 laying down the methodological and technical specifications in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/792 as regards harmonised indices of consumer prices and the house price index
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1720 amending Regulation (EU) 2020/1148 as regards the index compilation of the harmonised indices of consumer prices