Wales off bottom of UK productivity league table

Anglesey was one of the 10 least productive areas of the UK in 2018, according to the figures

Wales had the second lowest level of productivity per person in the UK in 2018, just beating the north-east of England, the latest figures have shown.

Regional gross domestic product (GDP) figures, which calculate the value of goods and services produced, suggest the average person in Wales generated £23,866 last year.

The UK average was £31,976 per person.

Anglesey, Gwent Valleys and Central Valleys were in the UK bottom 10 areas for productivity.

Wales overtook the north-east of England in 2016, after coming bottom of the league table from 2002-2015.

The statistics highlight the divide between different parts of the UK. For example, in London the average person generated £54,686, more than twice the Welsh average.

GDP overall in Wales grew by 1.3% compared with 1.4% across the UK.

Wales has three of the 10 least productive parts of the UK, and none in the top 10.

When the figures are broken down to smaller areas of Wales, people working in Anglesey produced the lowest level per head at £17,781, followed by the Gwent Valleys at £17,908 and the Central Valleys at £17,950.

The figures are calculated per head of population and not per worker, meaning areas with higher than average numbers of retired people can appear less productive than others.

In 2018, Anglesey experienced economic growth of 3.8% and the Gwent Valleys 2.5% - but in sharp contrast the Central Valleys region of Wales saw a decline of 4.4%.