Europe is one of the most wealthiest continents in the world. In fact, 11 out of the 20 countries with the highest GDP per capita in the world are in the European continent. This does not necessarily mean that poor countries does not exist, so let's go through and let's examine the poorest and which places you cannot miss as a tourist in each of them.
5. North Macedonia (16.253 $/hab.)
This recently renamed country is located in the Balkans region and shares its border with Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania. Even though the informal economy keeps being extremely high, weighting more than 20%, the situation has improved in recent years and, if the process of adheretion to the European Union succed, the country could be withdrawned from this list soon. The most touristic places are Skopje, the capital city with hundreds of sculptures, and Ohrid, in the west of the country.
4. Bosnia and Herzegovina (14.291 $/hab.)
The economy of Bosnia was particularly affected by the devastating balkan war that led to the disintegration of the Former Republic of Yugoslavia in the 90s. Corruption, that is extended through the country, has burdened the economy since then. However, tourism is contributing to economic growth, specially after the booming of Mostar as a tourist destination, as well as its capital, Sarajevo.
3. Albania (14.143 $/hab.)
Albania has been the last country to flee from comunism in Europe. It was in 1992 that the first non-marxist president was elected, but the democracy did not brough the expected development due to the systemic corruption. Still young people needs to emigrate in search of better opportunities. As a tourist, you can get marvelled by the brutalist architecture in Tirana, the capital city, visit the beautiful town of Berat or relax in the Albanian Riviera beaches.
2. Ukraine (9.683 $/hab.)
The war that maintains this former Soviet republic with neighbouring Russia is damaging seriously the economy since more and more resources need to be budgeted to deal with the conflict. Nevertheless, its capital, Kiev, is gaining importance as a tourist destination in Europe for those interested in the Soviet history. The visa-free regime introduced in 2016 for European Union citizens has consolidated the tourist sector. The worldwide popular tv series Chernobyl, extremely low prices and marvelous churches with gold domes are also contributing to the growing popularity of this country situated in Eastern Europe.
Check out my experience visiting Kiev clicking HERE.
1. Moldova (7.536 $/hab.)
Situated between Ukraine and Romania, this small country has a extremely weak economy due to the uncontrolled corruption and the trade embargo imposed by Russian Federation, its main trading partner until the agreement reached with European Union in 2014. In 2015, 1 billion dollars (an eighth part of the Moldovan GDP) were robed from the most important banks of the country and later investigations has demonstrated that various politicians were involved in the aforementioned embezzlement. The country is popular for those tourists keen on tasting good wine at extremely competitive prices and those interested in Soviet history and architecture.
If you want to check where the countries mentioned are situated in a map, check the image below:
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