The purchasing power of the average Croatian consumer is about 4,809 euros, or just a third of the European average, a study conducted by Gfk GeoMarketing agency in 42 European countries shows.
The average per-capita purchasing power in Europe in 2010 was 11,945 euros, an increase of 2.1 per cent from last year when it amounted to 11,699 euros, GfK said.
Croatia was ranked 29th, with a per-capita purchasing power of about 34 per cent of the European average. It slid two spots in the rankings from 2009.
The latest figures showed that the purchasing power of wealthier countries had declined only slightly, with the exception of Sweden which had seen significant growth, while Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain experienced greater declines.
Turkey recorded noticeable growth of some 10 per cent, overtaking crisis-ridden nations such as Hungary, Croatia and the Baltic countries.
Croatia's western neighbour Slovenia ranked 20th, with a per-capita purchasing power of 10,045 euros, or 84 per cent of the European average.
