The article deals with regional disparities in the level and dynamics of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Central Europe and the Baltic States. The analysis was made for NUTS-3 regions divided into rural, intermediate and urban types according to the Eurostat classification. The aim of the study was to identify the regional disparities in economic development level, its dynamics, dispersion and changes in the period 2004-2013 using Eurostat data on GDP per inhabitant in percentage of the EU-28 average. Also the dispersion and its changes over time in different types of regions were analysed. The fastest growth of GDP was identified in the Baltic States, also in their rural areas. In 5 of 6 analysed countries, the level of GDP in relation to the EU average was rising, the only country with no progress in GDP in the period 2004-2013 was Hungary, where nearly half of the regions retreated in economic development in relation to the EU-28 average. The dynamics of GDP was higher in the group of urban regions, lowest in the group of rural and intermediate areas. Calculations showed a weak negative statistical dependence between level and dynamics of GDP in the rural and intermediate regions. Generally, the dispersion of GDP was highest in Poland in all type of regions, in Slovakia and Hungary in the rural areas and in the Czech Republic in the urban regions.
