UK country poorest in northwest Europe, study finds

According to a study, Boris Johnson is the prime minister of the poorest country in Northwest Europe in terms of wealth per capita.

An analysis by the House of Commons Research Library – based on data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – shows the UK lags behind its 13 nearest neighbours, in terms of wealth per resident.

Figures for 2021 show the UK’s per capita gross domestic product (GDP) income is just 31,038 pounds, behind other underperforming countries, France with 32,622 pounds and Finland with 34,187 pounds.

Luxembourg turns out to have the highest GDP per capita in North Western Europe, at over £80,000 per capita, followed by Ireland (£65,411) and Switzerland (£50,015).

Nicola Sturgeon’s party captured the numbers, saying they demonstrated why Scotland had a better relationship with the ‘poor man of north-western Europe’.

The SNP’s deputy leader of Westminster MP Kirsten Oswald said the evidence shows independent countries the size of Scotland or smaller than the UK are “better”.

“It is increasingly clear that independence is the only way to unlock Scotland’s full economic potential – so that we can prosper and prosper like our European neighbours,” said Ms Oswald.

“The UK is the poor man of North West Europe – the lowest per capita wealth of any country for the entire 21st century, and a wealth gap with our European neighbors that has worsened over the past two decades.”

IMF figures also show that the wealth gap between the UK and its closest European neighbors has widened over the past 20 years.

The UK’s GDP per capita in 2000 was around £5,000 (7.6%) below the North West European average. This gap had widened to around £10,000 (16.3% on average) by 2021.

Mr Johnson vowed that Brexit would lead to a ‘national renewal’ and boost Britain’s economic opportunities around the world.

But a recent analysis independent Recent UK GDP studies suggest the damage from Brexit is equivalent to a loss of between £400m and £800m per week.

A UK government spokesman said: ‘The UK government will continue to serve the Scottish people – our economy is one of the strongest in the world, thanks in large part to the strength of our union.

‘Scotland continues to benefit from a £352bn coronavirus support package, which is one of the most generous in the world and has protected one in three Scottish jobs and more than 90,000 businesses. “