Real per capita private consumption in Greece reached its highest level in the last 13 years in 2024, compared to the EU average.
The above figure is only partly comforting, as although this indicator has improved, it remains at low levels compared to the rest of the EU and, in fact, at the same levels as those of the first years of the bailout period, without having yet managed to return to the pre-economic crisis point.
A decisive role, of course, was played by the fact that during the years of the great recession of the Greek economy, several European economies were growing. Even those that found themselves in a difficult position, such as the Irish, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and Cypriot economies, returned to an upward trajectory much faster compared to the Greek one.
According to Eurostat data, real per capita private consumption in Greece was 81% of the EU average in 2024, down from 80% in 2023. Notably, it was also at 80% in 2012, down from 86% in 2011, while in 2009, a year before the Greek economy entered a fiscal adjustment regime, real per capita private consumption in Greece was 3% above the EU average.
Based on the 2024 data, Greece ranks 21st in the EU, as it did in 2023, while in 2009 it was 13th and in 2012 15th.