The per capita income of families in the European Union grew 22% between 2004 and 2024, according to data released today by Eurostat. Portugal recorded an increase of around 21%, placing it among the six countries with the lowest increase over the last two decades.
Eurostat traces the evolution by periods: continuous growth from 2004 to 2008, stagnation between 2008 and 2011 due to the financial crisis and decline in 2012–2013. A new cycle of increase followed until 2020, a decline linked to the pandemic and recovery in 2021, with a slower pace in 2022 and 2023. The first data from 2024 points, however, to an acceleration in growth.
Among the Member States as a whole, Romania leads the gains in the period, with an increase of 134%. Lithuania (+95%), Poland (+91%) and Malta (+90%) follow. In contrast, Greece and Italy were the only countries where family income fell compared to 2004 (-5% and -4%, respectively).
Among the most modest increases are Spain (+11%), Austria (+14%), Belgium (+15%) and Luxembourg (+17%). Portugal, with around +21%, is thus in the group of Member States with the weakest performance in terms of growth in per capita household income over 2004–2024.