Luxembourg is the richest country in the European Union. As reported by Lenta.ru, this is stated in the annual study published by the EU statistical office (Eurostat).
Statisticians compiled a ranking of countries based on the ratio of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and purchasing power. For the richest country, Luxembourg, this indicator was equal to 276 points in 2007, almost three times higher than the EU average.
The compilers of the ranking explain that Luxembourg took first place thanks to workers from other countries. Numerous non-resident workers influence Luxembourg's gross domestic product but are not taken into account when calculating GDP per capita.
The second richest country in the European Union, according to Eurostat, is Ireland, with 146 points. The top five also include: the Netherlands (131 points), Austria (128 points), and Germany (113 points).
The poorest in the European Union are Bulgaria (38 points) and Romania (41 points). On average across the 27 EU member states, the ratio of GDP per capita to purchasing power was 101 points.