Europe’s East Will Soon Overtake Club Med for Living Standards

Almost four decades after the Soviet Union collapsed, living standards in the countries that broke free from its orbit to join the European Union are set to leapfrog the bloc’s south.

Per capita income in Slovenia will surpass that of Italy by 2029 when adjusted for purchasing power, according to the latest International Monetary Fund projections. Lithuania will draw level on that metric, while Poland won’t be far behind.