(ANSA) - BELGRADE, NOV 25 - According to a Eurostat report, from 2004 to 2024, real per capita household income in the EU increased by 22%. Between 2004 and 2008, per capita income increased steadily, then stagnated between 2008 and 2011 due to the global financial crisis, before declining in 2012 and 2013. Since then, income has been steadily increasing until 2020, when it fell due to the global pandemic. Income recovered in 2021, but increased slowly in 2022 and 2023. According to Eurostat, initial data for 2024 show an acceleration in income growth. Romania had the greatest increase in real per capita household income (134%) among EU countries between 2004 and 2024, followed by Lithuania (95%), Poland (91%), and Malta (90%). Greece and Italy were the only countries where per capita household income fell over the last 20 years (-5% and -4%, respectively), with the lowest increases in Spain (11%), Austria (14%), Belgium (15%), and Luxembourg (17%). (ANSA).