Eurostat, the official publishers of European statistical data, have recently released their Regional Yearbook for 2012. The yearbook is a useful resource for anyone interested in all things European, as it highlights recent economic, social and demographic developments throughout the territory.
Most of the data is provided at the EU standard NUTS 2 regional level, with additional data provided at the more detailed NUTS 3 level. The yearbook covers the economy, population, health, education, and labour market along with structural business statistics, tourism, details on the information society, agriculture, transport, and science, technology and innovation. There is also a section which explores issues more thematically including European Cities, Coastal Regions, and Territorial Typologies. Among the findings is the continued prominence of capital cities as drivers of wealth and growth and that population growth was strongest in many of the Western countries while a number of the Eastern countries saw declines.
This year Eurostat have also developed a very useful interactive statistical atlas website that allows you to visual much of the statistical information included in the yearbook. The website not only allows you to map a dataset, but also explore each piece of NUTS regional data individually.
Where does your country fit in this European snapshot? Take a look and get exploring!