Indicator Fact Sheet

Household expenditure categories

Indicator Fact Sheet

Prod-ID: IND-16-en

Also known as:

This is an old version, kept for reference only.

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Topics: Energy

This page was archived on 11 May 2015 with reason: Other (The new indicator it is linked with is not a new version)

Assessment made on 01 Jan 2001

Generic metadata

Classification

Topics:

Energy

DPSIR: Driving force

Identification

Indicator codes

Contents

Policy issue: How are consumption patterns changing?

Figures

Household consumption expenditure, EU15

Key assessment

By 1997, the average European consumer had almost double the spending power of his counterpart in 1980, in real terms. The extra spending power went in two main directions:

health: spending doubled, probably reflecting the ageing European population;
less basic needs, including recreation (73% increase) and transport (65%).

Spending on food and clothing, on the other hand, only increased by 20%. The marked increase in expenditure on recreation includes the growth of private car use and tourism, which can add significantly to the environmental impacts of households.