Education, Industry, Trade and Development of European and Eurasian Countries in 1980-99

This paper presents a comparative analysis of economic development in European and Eurasian countries, focusing on the educational level of population, fertility rates, production by sector and foreign trade. Countries are classified into 5 large areas: three for Western Europe, one for Central Europe, Baltic and East Mediterranean, and the other for Eurasia. The highest levels of development in Western European countries are mainly explained by educational level of population and a high degree of industrialization. We analyse the main challenges and opportunities in terms of institutional, physical and human capital, for Central and East countries with low levels of development.