As in previous years, the district of Bucharest clearly takes first place among Romanian regions. With a per capita purchasing power of EUR22,676, Bucharest residents have more than twice the national average available for spending and saving.
Compared to the district of Vaslui, which has the lowest purchasing power at just EUR5,379 per capita, this results in a spending potential that is about 4.2 times higher. This highlights the strong contrasts in purchasing power distribution. Compared to previous years, however, the gap between districts with low and high purchasing power in Romania is narrowing slightly in 2025.
All districts in the top 10 have above average per capita purchasing power. Compared to 2024, there are changes in ranks seven to ten. Prahova and Arad each drop two places to ranks nine and ten, while Constanta improves by one place to take eighth. New to the top 10 is the district of Arges, which climbs to seventh place with a disposable net income of EUR11,400. The district closest to the national average is Alba, where residents have EUR11,188 available for spending and saving.
The study “NIQ Purchasing Power Europe 2025” is available for 42 European countries at detailed regional levels such as municipalities and postcodes, along with seamlessly fitting data on inhabitants and households as well as digital maps.
Purchasing power is a measure of disposable income after the deduction of taxes and charitable contributions, and it also includes any received state benefits. The study indicates per-person, per-year purchasing power levels in euros and as an index. NIQ Purchasing Power is based on the population’s nominal disposable income, which means values are not adjusted for inflation. Calculations are carried out on the basis of reported income and earnings, statistics on government benefits, as well as economic forecasts provided by economic institutes.
At regional level, Poland’s average per capita purchasing power in 2025 amounts to EUR14,156. This places the Polish population slightly more than 30% below the European average and, as in the previous two years, marks an improvement of one rank to position 26.
In the Czech Republic, the spending potential amounts to EUR15,928 in 2025, placing the Czechs 23rd among the 42 countries analyzed, which is slightly more than 21% below the European average.
The average per capita purchasing power in Europe increases to 20,291 in 2025. However, the differences between the 42 countries analyzed remain significant: people in Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Luxembourg have a much higher net income than the rest of Europe, while purchasing power is lowest in Kosovo, Belarus, and Ukraine. Ireland is among the big winners this year, climbing five places in the overall European comparison. These findings are part of the new study “NIQ Purchasing Power Europe 2025,” which is now available.
In 2025, Europeans will have a total purchasing power of approximately 13.9 trillion euros. This budget is available for food, housing, services, energy costs, private pensions, insurance, vacations, mobility, and consumer purchases. On a per capita basis, this results in an average purchasing power of 20,291 euros, representing a nominal increase of 4% compared to the revised figure from the previous year. However, the actual amount consumers have available for spending and saving varies greatly from country to country and also depends on how consumer prices develop in 2025.
“Purchasing power differences within Europe remain significant,” explains Markus Frank, expert in NIQ’s Geomarketing solution area. “People in Liechtenstein – the top-ranked country – have more than 24 times the purchasing power compared to Ukraine, which ranks last. Still, a long-term trend is emerging: countries with lower purchasing power are seeing above-average growth. This is gradually narrowing the gap between nations. For comparison: ten years ago, the ratio between Liechtenstein and Ukraine was more than 66 to 1.”