"This article updates the authors' previous analysis of the economic position facing western Balkans countries. It analyses development between 2008 and 2018 in five countries from the region - Serbia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Montenegro; North Macedonia; and Albania - and contrasts this with the three newest EU member states - Bulgaria; Romania; and Croatia. Its argumentation is based on the following parameters: GDP growth; GDP per capita; GDP at purchasing power parity; the share of investment in GDP; average monthly net wages; average monthly gross wages; inflation; the share of foreign and public debt share as a percentage of GDP; and balance of payments. In 2018, economic growth in the western Balkans reached 3.8 per cent, supported by increased public spending and, in Albania and North Macedonia, also by a rise in net exports. According to World Bank projections, western Balkans economies are projected to continue to expand in 2019-20, but this stable outlook is vulnerable and subject to risks, including not least the migration of well-educated and highly-skilled young people."

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