International Comparison of Changes in Population Consumption in European Countries

The article presents some of the results of a study of differences and changes in per capita consumption for the 2000-2014 period for a group of European countries. The given study is part of a research project under contract № NID NI – 15/2017 to NID of UNWE, on the topic of “Analyzing the “consumer – investment products” ratio in the final production in Bulgarian economy – a tool for assessing the reproductive potential of the national economy”. The study of changes in per capita consumption in dynamics and comparability between countries covers the following group of 25 countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Finland, France and the Czech Republic. The dynamics of per capita consumption for the 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2014 periods have been studied. Data for later years are missing. The research is based on the consumption per person in 56 product groups according to a single nomenclature and a single measure, in this case – the US dollar (at the average annual exchange rate to the national currency and at current prices). Unlike the study of consumption structures only, of structural differences and changes over time, this part of the study takes into account both structural differences and changes, as well as volume differences and changes. The article presents the results of the research, per the requirements in the № NID NI – 15/2017 to NID of UNWE contract, and its goal lies solely in the presentation of results.