Press Release 28/06/2022

FAMILY EXPENDITURE SURVEY. 2021

Average household expenditure in the Basque Country rose by 4.9% in 2021

Average expenditure by Basque households on online purchases grew by 14.2% and total expenditure exceeded 1,400 million euros

In current terms, the average expenditure per household stood at 33,045 euros in 2021, 4.9% more than the previous year, with a notable increase in average expenditure on Restaurants and hotels, according to Eustat data.

These results should be analysed within the social and economic context arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, as it has affected the evolution of household expenditure in the Basque Country.

The highest growth in total expenditure occurred in the Restaurants and hotels group, with an annual increase of 31.9%

In absolute terms, total expenditure on consumption reached nearly 30,062 million euros in 2021, up 4.5% on 2020, with different trends in the various expenditure groups. Looking at the two most significant groups in terms of volume of expenditure, spending on Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels and Food and non-alcoholic beverages rose slightly in respect of 2020, with growth of 0.3% and 0.5%, respectively. Both groups saw higher volumes of expenditure than in 2019, before the pandemic, as did Education, which increased by 15.1% compared to 2020, surpassing the amount spent on this group in 2019.

As expected, of particular note was the rise in expenditure on Restaurants and hotels, which grew by 31.9% in relation to 2020, as a result of the lifting of COVID restrictions, although it did not reach pre-pandemic spending levels in 2021.

There was also considerable growth in expenditure on Clothing and footwear (16.2%), Healthcare, with an increase of 10.4%, and Transport (6.5%). However, none of these groups achieved the levels of expenditure recorded in 2019.

Expenditure on Communications fell by 3.0% in respect of 2020, along with spending on Alcoholic beverages and tobacco, with a decrease of 12.1%. This drop was due to the strong growth in this expenditure group in 2020, although it is worth pointing out that the volume of expenditure in 2021 was higher than in 2019.

Average household expenditures according to different expenditure groups followed similar trends. The expenditure groups that increased in comparison with 2020 were Restaurants and hotels (32.4%), Clothing and footwear (16.7%), Education (15.5%), Healthcare (10.8%) and Transport (6.9%).

In contrast, the average household expenditures that decreased in relation to the previous year were Alcoholic beverages and tobacco (-11.7%) and Communications (-2.6%).

The greatest expenditure by Basque households continued to be on Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, accounting for 36.8% of the total

As regards the pattern of expenditure, Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels remained the largest expenditure group for Basque homes in 2021, representing 36.8% of their total expenditure, although it was down 1.6 percentage points on the previous year. The second largest expenditure group, Food and non-alcoholic beverages, with 15.7%, also dropped by 0.6 percentage points compared to the previous period. Expenditure on both groups accounted for more than half of the total household budget in 2021, comprising 52.5%, compared to 54.7% in 2020 and 47.7% in 2019.

Particularly noteworthy was the rise in expenditure on Restaurants and hotels in the total household budget, which represented 9.0% of the overall budget versus 7.1% in 2020, albeit below the 10.9% observed in 2019. The next expenditure group with an increase in weight compared to the previous year was Clothing and footwear, which was up from 3.8% of the total budget in 2020 to 4.2% in 2021.

Expenditure by province

By province, families in Álava accounted for 15.0% of total consumption expenditure in the Basque Country in 2021, Bizkaia represented 52.3% of spending and Gipuzkoa 32.7%.

Households in Álava saw the greatest increase in average expenditure

Despite having the lowest average expenditure per household of the three provinces (31,924 euros), households in Álava recorded the highest rise in expenditure in 2021, with growth of 11.7%, an average annual increase of 3,344 euros per household. This growth was primarily due to the rise in expenditure on Transport (49.0%), Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (4.1%) and Other goods and services (18.4%), among others. The expenditures that decreased compared to 2020 were Alcoholic beverages and tobacco (-3.5%) and Communications (-3.1%).

Households in Gipuzkoa registered the highest average expenditure per household (an average of 34,176 euros per year per household), 3.4% above the Basque Country average (33,045) and 2.0% up on the figure for 2020. This increase was mainly due to the rise in expenditure on Restaurants and hotels (28.1%) and Healthcare (30.6%). In contrast, average expenditures on Alcoholic beverages and tobacco (-26.3%), Other goods and services (-6.9%) and Transport (-5.5%) fell sharply, as did spending on Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (-1.0%).

In Bizkaia, the average expenditure per household stood at 32,696 euros, 5.1% higher than in 2020, an increase in average expenditure per household of 1,583 euros per year. The greatest increase in expenditure was seen in the Restaurants and hotels group, with growth of 41.1% in respect of 2020, which translates into a rise in average expenditure per household on this group of 916 euros per year. The average household expenditure on Clothing and footwear in Bizkaia also improved compared to 2020 (22.8%), as did spending on Transport, with an increase of 6.0%. On the other hand, the expenditure groups that decreased with regard to 2020 were Food and non-alcoholic beverages (-1.7%), Alcoholic beverages and tobacco (-3.4%) and Communications (-2.5%).

Online expenditure

Online consumption expenditure by households continued to rise in 2021, representing 4.8% of total household spending in the Basque Country and reaching 1,438 million euros.

According to the pattern of expenditure on goods and services purchased online, the Clothing and footwear expenditure group accounted for 28.2%, with Clothing being the dominant component. The next largest groups were Restaurants and hotels (20.4%) and Leisure and culture (16.6%).

Within the Restaurants and hotels group, Accommodation services purchased online regained significance, rising from 68.1% in 2020 to 86.3% in 2021. Consequently, Catering services fell in importance, going from representing 31.9% of online expenditure on this group in 2020 to 13.7% in 2021.

In comparison with the pattern for 2020, the Leisure and culture group decreased in weight in 2021, falling from 21.7% of expenditure to 16.6%. Within this group, online expenditure on Audiovisual, photographic and information processing equipment and spending on Durables for recreation, sport and culture saw the sharpest declines.

As regards the trend in online expenditure, we can see that the percentage of households that made purchases on the internet dropped slightly compared to 2020, accounting for 36.5% of the total. However, the average online expenditure by Basque households increased significantly to reach 4,336 euros, 14.2% more than in the previous period.

Consumption expenditure according to household characteristics

Analysing household expenditure in the Basque Country, according to various classification variables for the household and its members, provided a socio-economic assessment of the data.

According to main household income source, households whose main source of income was self-employment and income from property and capital registered the greatest average expenditure per household in 2021, with 36,335 euros per year, 9.7% higher than the Basque Country average, but a 6.6% decrease in average expenditure compared to 2020, resulting in an average reduction of 2,560 euros per year per household. This was followed by households whose main source of income was employed work, with an average expenditure of 35,765 euros per household, up 5.8% on 2020. Lastly, households whose main source of income was pensions, benefits and other payments and regular income registered an average expenditure per household of 29,336 euros, 11.4% below the Basque Country average.

With regard to household expenditure according to the situation arising from the activity of the primary breadwinner, in households where the primary breadwinner was active in 2021, the average household expenditure stood at 34,756 euros, 5.2% above the average for the Basque Country. By contrast, in households where the primary breadwinner was inactive, the average expenditure was 30,165 euros, 8.7% below the average. In comparison with data from the previous year, average household expenditure increased in both cases: it was 3.9% higher for households with an active primary breadwinner and 6.9% higher for households with an inactive primary breadwinner.

Note: The survey on family expenditure is carried out in collaboration with the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) in the Autonomous Region of the Basque Country.

For further information:

Euskal Estatistika-Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.es Tel.: 945 01 75 62