STAT/13/143
7 October 2013
Eurostat regional yearbook 2013
A more detailed view of the EU through regional statistics
The Regional yearbook1 2013, published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, presents regional statistics from a wide range of fields, giving a more detailed and diverse picture of the EU than national level data. It also enables an analysis, for example, of how the financial crisis has affected regions across the EU. It indicates, among other things, in which regions employment, population and GDP have decreased the most and in which there have been increases. It also shows how poverty has affected the population differently depending on whether they live in a densely or more thinly populated area.
The publication shows data for the 272 NUTS level 2 regions2 and, for some indicators, the 1 315 NUTS level 3 regions2 of the Member States of the EU as well as, when available, the regions in the four EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and three of the candidate countries (Montenegro, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey).
As last year, the interactive tool Statistical Atlas3 on the Eurostat website provides access to all the maps from the latest edition of the Eurostat regional yearbook. This application allows users to display detailed information on a specific region or city and gives the possibility to download individual maps as high resolution PDF.
Eurostat has also recently launched a new interactive tool, Regional Statistics Illustrated4, to visualise regional data. This tool contains more than fifty constantly updated indicators at NUTS 2 level. Through an interactive map, selected regions can be analysed and compared through different visualisation options. An animated timeline shows how regions have performed over time. It should be noted that Regional Statistics Illustrated always uses the latest available data in the Eurostat database, while the Statistical Atlas shows maps based on data as published in the Regional yearbook.
The following tables are a small selection of the large number of indicators available in the Eurostat regional yearbook, and help to understand how regions have been affected following the financial crisis.
Employment rates fell between 2008 and 2011 in almost three quarters of the EU28 regions
Between 2008 and 2011, employment rates5 for people aged 20 to 64 fell in almost three-quarters of the 272 NUTS level 2 regions. The largest falls were observed in Yuzhen tsentralen in Bulgaria (-9.7 percentage points between 2008 and 2011), Comunidad Valenciana in Spain and Latvia (both -9.5 pp), Border, Midland & Western in Ireland (-9.2 pp), Murcia in Spain (-8.4 pp) as well as Severoiztochen in Bulgaria, Southern and Eastern in Ireland and Illes Balears in Spain (all three -8.2 pp). Among the 43 regions where the employment rate decreased by five percentage points or more between 2008 and 2011, 15 were in Spain, nine in Greece, six in Bulgaria, three in Portugal, both regions in Ireland, both regions in Croatia, two in Romania, one in France as well as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The largest increases in employment rates were registered in Corse in France (+8.3 pp), followed by the German regions of Sachsen-Anhalt (+4.5 pp), Berlin (+3.6 pp), Kassel and Lüneburg (both +3.4 pp) and Braunschweig (+3.3 pp). Among the 36 regions which had an increase in their employment rate of more than one percentage point during the same period, 25 were in Germany, three each in France and Poland, two in Romania, one in the United Kingdom as well as Malta and Luxembourg.
Change in employment rate, persons aged 20-64 by NUTS 2 regions, 2008-2011
(percentage points difference between 2008 and 2011)
Highest growth/Smallest fall / Largest fall / Highest growth/Smallest fall / Largest fallBE / Luxembourg (BE) / +0.8 / Bruxelles / Brussels / -2.0 / MT / +2.4
BG / Severen tsentralen / -5.0 / Yuzhen tsentralen / -9.7 / NL / Groningen / -0.9 / Drenthe / -2.6
CZ / Severozápad / -0.5 / Střední Morava / -2.6 / AT / Wien, Steiermark and Vorarlberg / +0.9 / Burgenland / -1.6
DK / Sjælland / -2.6 / Nordjylland / -4.9 / PL / Śląskie / +1.2 / Świętokrzyskie / -3.3
DE / Sachsen-Anhalt / +4.5 / Trier / -1.4 / PT / Alentejo / -1.3 / Centro (PT) / -6.1
EE / -6.6 / RO / Nord-Est / +2.4 / Sud - Muntenia / -6.8
IE / Southern & Eastern / -8.2 / Border, Midland & Western / -9.2 / SI / Zahodna Slovenija / -4.6 / Vzhodna Slovenija / -4.8
EL / Voreio Aigaio / -3.9 / Anatoliki Makedonia, Thraki / -8.0 / SK / Bratislavský kraj / -2.6 / Západné Slovensko / -4.6
ES / Melilla / -0.9 / Comunidad Valenciana / -9.5 / FI / Pohjois- ja Itä-Suomi* / +1.6 / Åland / -4.3
FR / Corse / +8.3 / Basse-Normandie / -6.0 / SE / Övre Norrland / +0.6 / Småland med öarna / -2.6
HR / Jadranska Hrvatska / -5.4 / Kontinentalna Hrvatska / -6.1 / UK / Highlands and Islands / +2.1 / West Yorkshire / -4.2
IT / Friuli-Venezia Giulia* / +0.9 / Molise / -3.8 / IS / -4.7
CY / -3.1 / NO / Nord-Norge / -1.1 / Trøndelag / -3.5
LV / -9.5 / CH / Ticino / +3.2 / Zentralschweiz / -1.5
LT / -5.0 / MK / +2.1
LU / +1.3 / TR / Manisa, Afyonkarahisar, Kütahya, Uşak / +11.6 / Trabzon, Ordu, Giresun, Rize, Artvin, Gümüşhane / -3.7
HU / Dél-Dunántúl / +0.9 / Közép-Magyarország / -3.0
* 2009-11 data
Largest population decrease in Latvian and Lithuanian regions in 2011
Among the 1 315 NUTS level 3 regions, the highest population growth in 20116 was observed in Münster (+41.8 persons per 1000 inhabitants) and Darmstadt (+31.7‰) in Germany, Ilfov in Romania (+31.5‰), Melilla in Spain (+30.8‰), Cyprus (+26.2‰), Luxembourg (+25.1‰) and Luton in the United Kingdom (+24.3‰).
The regions with the largest declines in population were Šiaulių apskritis (-22.7 persons per 1000 inhabitants) and Utenos apskritis (-22.5‰) in Lithuania, Latgale in Latvia (-21.5‰), Alytaus apskritis (-20.4‰) and Tauragės apskritis (-20.0‰) in Lithuania and Ioannina in Greece (-19.8‰).
Population change, by NUTS 3 regions, 2011*
(per thousand inhabitants)
Highest rate / 2nd highest rate / Lowest rate / 2nd lowest rateBE / Bruxelles/Brussel / +19.7 / Neufchâteau / +14.5 / Ieper / +3.5 / Veurne / +3.7
BG / Sofia (stolitsa) / +3.7 / Varna / -0.9 / Vidin / -17.1 / Montana / -15.5
CZ / Středočeský kraj / +11.3 / Hlavní město Praha / +6.2 / Moravskoslezský kraj / -3.3 / Karlovarský kraj / -2.1
DK / Byen København / +16.1 / Københavns omegn / +7.8 / Bornholm / -11.8 / Vest- og Sydsjælland / -4.7
DE / Münster / +41.8 / Darmstadt / +31.7 / Elbe-Elster / -15.2 / Mansfeld-Südharz / -14.9
EE / Põhja-Eesti / +2.7 / Lõuna-Eesti / -1.0 / Kirde-Eesti / -6.0 / Lääne-Eesti / -2.2
IE / Midland / +12.2 / Mid-East / +11.3 / Border / -4.8 / West / -4.5
EL / Fokida / +19.5 / Chalkidiki / +10.7 / Ioannina / -19.8 / Ileia / -8.1
ES / Melilla / +30.8 / Ceuta / +15.9 / Teruel and Zamora / -10.9 / Cuenca / -9.7
FR / Guyane / +22.5 / Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse / +11.1 / Martinique / -5.2 / Ardennes, Aube, Marne and Haute-Marne / -1.1
HR / Zadarska županija / +4.0 / Grad Zagreb / +2.7 / Sisačko-moslavačka županija / -15.8 / Ličko-senjska županija / -15.4
IT / Milano / +10.2 / Roma / +9.5 / Oristano / -5.2 / Medio Campidano / -4.6
CY / +26.2
LV / Pierīga / -10.2 / Riga / -13.6 / Latgale / -21.5 / Zemgale / -19.5
LT / Vilniaus apskritis / -5.7 / Klaipėdos apskritis / -14.0 / Šiaulių apskritis / -22.7 / Utenos apskritis / -22.5
LU / +25.1
HU / Pest / +6.0 / Győr-Moson-Sopron / +4.1 / Nógrád / -14.9 / Békés / -11.3
MT / Malta / +8.1 / Gozo & Comino / Għawdex u Kemmuna / +3.8
NL / Delft en Westland / +15.0 / Agglomeratie 's-Gravenhage / +10.8 / Delfzijl en omgeving / -8.4 / Oost-Groningen / -4.9
AT / Graz / +11.5 / Wien / +9.9 / Östliche Obersteiermark / -5.9 / Unterkärnten / -5.7
PL / Poznański and Gdański / +14.6 / Warszawski-wschodni / +9.7 / Miasto Łódź / -7.7 / Łomżyński / -5.5
PT / Açores / +1.4 / Grande Lisboa / +0.8 / Pinhal Interior Sul / -13.4 / Alto Trás-os-Montes / -10.5
RO / Ilfov / +31.5 / Iaşi / +15.8 / Teleorman / -11.6 / Botoşani / -9.1
SI / Osrednjeslovenska / +6.1 / Obalno-kraška / +6.0 / Zasavska / -6.7 / Koroška / -1.8
SK / Bratislavský kraj / +11.0 / Trnavský kraj, Prešovský kraj and Košický kraj / +2.7 / Banskobystrický kraj / -1.3 / Nitriansky kraj / -1.1
FI / Åland / +12.3 / Helsinki-Uusimaa / +10.9 / Kainuu / -9.5 / Etelä-Savo / -6.0
SE / Stockholms län / +17.9 / Uppsala län / +8.1 / Jämtlands län / -3.1 / Kalmar län, Värmlands län and Västernorrlands län / -1.9
UK** / Luton / +24.3 / Nottingham / +19.4 / West Cumbria / -2.4 / Blackpool / -2.3
IS / Höfuðborgarsvæði / +6.2 / Landsbyggð / -1.1
LI / +9.0
NO / Oslo / +23.2 / Akershus / +19.2 / Sogn og Fjordane / +4.3 / Nordland / +4.4
CH / Freiburg / +21.9 / Vaud / +17.6 / Uri / -1.1 / Basel-Landschaft and Appenzell Innerrhoden / +3.5
ME / +2.2
MK / Skopski / +5.3 / Pološki / +3.5 / Istočen / -3.4 / Pelagoniski / -2.8
TR / Bilecik / +109.1 / Isparta / +63.3 / Tunceli / -79.6 / Çankiri / -32.7
* Data for Malta, the United Kingdom and Turkey are for 2010
** Data for 14 NUTS 3 regions are not available.
Greater risk of poverty and social exclusion in thinly populated areas
In 2011, 121 million people, or 24% of the population, in the EU28 were at risk of poverty or social exclusion7. This means that they were at least in one of the following three conditions: at-risk-of-poverty, severely materially deprived or living in households with very low work intensity. The reduction of the number of persons at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU is one of the key targets of the Europe 2020 strategy.
This indicator can be analysed by degree of urbanisation8. This is an aggregation of small administrative units, which corresponds to commune level in most countries. These are classified according to their population density and total population as densely, intermediate or thinly populated. In the EU28 in 2011, 29% of the population in thinly populated areas were at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared with 23% in densely populated areas and 21% in intermediate density areas. In seventeen Member States (most of them located in Eastern and Southern Europe), the thinly populated areas had the highest at-risk-of-poverty or social exclusion rates, in eight Member States (mainly in Western Europe), it was the densely populated areas and in three Member States the intermediate density areas.
The largest differences between the thinly and the densely populated regions were observed in Bulgaria and Romania (both 19 percentage points higher in thinly populated regions than in densely), Poland (13 pp), Hungary and Croatia (both 12 pp).
People at risk of poverty or social exclusion, by degree of urbanisation, 2011, (%)
Total / Densely populated / Intermediate / Thinly populatedEU28 / 24.3 / 23.3 / 21.3 / 29.3
Belgium / 21.0 / 25.5 / 15.4 / 17.7
Bulgaria / 49.1 / 38.6 / 54.7 / 57.7
Czech Republic* / 15.4 / 14.0 / 16.7 / 15.3
Denmark / 18.9 / 20.2 / 16.6 / 20.7
Germany / 19.9 / 20.8 / 18.0 / 21.5
Estonia* / 23.4 / 21.3 / 23.5 / 25.6
Ireland / 29.4 / 27.1 / 33.1 / 28.8
Greece / 31.0 / 29.4 / 30.9 / 32.5
Spain / 27.0 / 22.3 / 29.8 / 33.5
France / 19.3 / 22.2 / 15.6 / 19.4
Croatia / 32.7 / 26.5 / 29.8 / 38.1
Italy / 28.2 / 27.6 / 27.5 / 31.7
Cyprus / 24.6 / 23.5 / 24.1 / 27.1
Latvia* / 36.6 / 33.6 / 32.4 / 40.6
Lithuania* / 32.5 / 27.2 / 28.1 / 38.2
Luxembourg / 16.8 / 21.0 / 12.6 / 15.1
Hungary* / 32.4 / 25.8 / 32.0 / 37.9
Malta* / 22.2 / 22.3 / 20.5 / -
Netherlands / 15.7 / 16.5 / 14.6 / 6.5
Austria / 16.9 / 23.2 / 11.8 / 14.4
Poland* / 26.7 / 20.4 / 24.6 / 33.2
Portugal / 24.4 / 22.1 / 25.6 / 27.4
Romania / 40.3 / 28.4 / 39.5 / 47.4
Slovenia* / 19.6 / 18.4 / 19.4 / 20.2
Slovakia / 20.6 / 15.8 / 20.2 / 23.8
Finland* / 17.2 / 13.1 / 19.9 / 18.4
Sweden / 16.1 / 18.3 / 12.7 / 16.3
United Kingdom / 22.7 / 24.8 / 21.1 / 17.9
Iceland / 13.7 / 14.1 / - / 13.0
Norway* / 13.8 / 13.9 / 12.9 / 14.4
Switzerland / 17.2 / 17.2 / 15.9 / 20.1
* 2012 data
- Not applicable
1. Eurostat regional yearbook 2013. Paper version - EUR 20 excluding VAT, PDF-version and underlying data - available free of charge on the Eurostat website: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-HA-13-001/EN/KS-HA-13-001-EN.PDF. Also available as a Statistics Explained article:
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Eurostat_regional_yearbook.
The Regional Yearbook includes fifteen chapters on economy, population, health, education, labour market, structural business statistics, tourism, information society, agriculture, transport, science, technology & innovation, European cities, cities and metro regions, income and living conditions and rural development.
Data in this News Release may differ from that in the Regional Yearbook, due to updates made after the extractions used for the publication.
In this News Release, data for Croatia, which entered the European Union on 1 July 2013, is shown among the Member States. In the Regional Yearbook itself, Croatia is shown as an acceding country, as the publication was prepared before Croatia entered the European Union.
2. The yearbook uses the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS 2010) that entered into force on 1 January 2012: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/nuts_nomenclature/introduction