Press Release 18/09/2025

FAMILY EXPENDITURE SURVEY. 2024

The average expenditure per household in the Basque Country stood at 36,313 euros in 2024, hardly varying compared to 2023

The greatest increase compared to the previous year was in expenditure on Insurance and financial services, with 9.6%, and in that dedicated to Leisure, entertainment and culture, with 8.4%

The average expenditure per household in current terms was 36,313 euros in 2024, which was 18 euros down on the previous year. Of particular note was the increase in expenditure on Insurance and financial services, up 9.6%, and in that dedicated to Leisure, entertainment and culture, with an increase of 8.4%, according to Eustat data. The average expenditure per person fell by 0.4% and stood at 15,504 euros 2024.

By expenditure group, 6 of the 13 groups saw an upward trend in average household expenditures. The average expenditure per household on Insurance and financial services saw the highest increase in 2024, up 9.6% compared to that of 2023, which translates to an average expenditure per household of 1,261 euros per year.

Expenditure on Leisure, entertainment and culture and on Hotels, cafes and restaurants continued gaining weight in the budget of Basque households

The second group of average expenditure per household with the highest increase was that of Leisure, entertainment and culture (8.4%) and an average expenditure per household of 1,732 euros; followed by the expenditure on Hotels, cafes and restaurants (3.0%) and an average expenditure per household of 4,207 euros throughout the year; Clothing and footwear (2.5%), item on which Basque households spent an average of 1,438 euros per year; Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels (1,0%), with an average expenditure per household of 13,008 euros; and Health (0.7%) with 1,284 euros of average expenditure.

By contrast, the average expenditure per household that decreased compared to the previous year was that relating to Other goods and services (-15.0%) - includes Personal care, Personal effects and Social Protection and other services-; the group of Alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics (-9.6%); Education (-7.9%); the group of expenditure on Furnishings, household equipment and routine equipment costs of the dwelling (-7.1%); Transportation (-1.9%); Food and non-alcoholic beverages(-1.4%); and that relating to Information & Communications(-0.8%).

As regards the pattern of consumption, expenditure on Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels continued to account for the highest spending by households in the Basque Country, given that more than a third of expenditure went on this item, 35.8%, which is equivalent to 13,008 euros per year per household in 2024. Furthermore, the proportion represented by this expenditure group out of the total household expenditure budget increased in respect of 2023 by 0.3 percentage points. Despite this, several of the expenditures included in this group decreased compared to 2023. This was the case, for example, of the gas and other fuel bills paid by households, which in 2024 was -23.2% lower, or the expenditure per household relating to Water supply and sanitation and Refuse collection, down -12.0% compared to 2023.

The average expenditure per household on Food and non-alcoholic beverages was down two tenths compared to the weight it had in family consumption as a whole in 2023, standing at 15.5% of expenditure in 2024, which represented 5,633 euros per household. Between both groups (housing with its associated expenses and food) they accounted for half of the average household budget (51.3%) in 2024, compared to 51.2% in 2023.

The weight of expenditure on Hotels, cafes and restaurants, which rose to 4,207 euros per year per household in 2024, continues its upward trend of recent years, now reaching 11.6% of total expenditure, which represents four tenths more that in 2023.

Total expenditure on consumption in Basque household grew by 0.1% in 2024

In absolute terms, total expenditure on consumption in Basque households reached 34,312 million euros in 2024, up 0.1% compared to 2023, with different trends in the various expenditure groups.

As regards the distribution of the total expenditure of households, almost 63% was concentrated in three large groups: Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels; Food and non-alcoholic beverages; and Hotels, cafes and restaurants.

Thus, the group with the greatest weight in volume of expenditure, was that corresponding to Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, which represented 35.8% of the total expenditure and was up 1.2% compared to 2023. The second highest expenditure was that on Food and non-alcoholic beverages, with a weight of 15.5%, however, it was down -1.3% compared to the previous period.

Next came the expenditure by Basque households on Hotels, cafes and restaurants, which stood at over 3,975 million euros, reaching 11.6% of the total expenditure in 2024, with growth of 3.1% compared to 2023.

Of particular note, in percentage terms, was the annual increase of 9.7% in the total expenditure by households on Insurance and financial services, which rose to 1,191 million euros and expenditure on Leisure, entertainment and culture, with an increase of 8.6%, which stood at 1,637 million euros in 2024.

In contrast, total expenditure decreased on Other goods and services (-14.9%) - includes Personal care, Personal effects and Social Protection and other services-; Alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics (-9.5%); Education (-7.8%); and Furnishings, household equipment and routine equipment costs of the dwelling (-6.9%).

By province, families in Álava accounted for 14.8% of total consumption expenditure in the Basque Country in 2024, Bizkaia represented 53.0% of spending and Gipuzkoa 32.2%.

Gipuzkoa had the highest average expenditure per household in 2024

In 2024, households in Gipuzkoa had the highest average expenditure per household of the three provinces, with 36,765 euros and, in turn, that which increased most compared to 2023, with a rise of 1.9%. This growth was fundamentally due to the increase in expenditure on Leisure, entertainment and culture (27.4%), Transportation(11.2%) and Insurance and financial services (6.9%). In contrast, the average expenditure per household with the worst evolution in Gipuzkoa was expenditure on Other goods and services (-16.7%) and on Furnishings, household equipment and routine equipment costs of the dwelling (-9.9%), which also posted a negative evolution in 2024 in all three provinces.

In the province of Bizkaia the average expenditure per household in 2024 reached 36,730 euros, which was an increase of 0.7% compared to 2023. In this province the average expenditure per household increased on Insurance and financial services (10.4%) and on Hotels, cafes and restaurants (9.0%). In contrast, there were noteworthy decreases in expenditure on Education (-14.1%), Alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics (-10.3%) and Transportation (-10.1%).

Finally, in Álava, the average expenditure per household stood at 34,020 euros, down -6.4% on 2023. The drop in expenditure occurred in the majority of the expenditure groups, of particular note being the decreases in expenditure on Other goods and services (-37.3%) and Education (-17.5%). At the other end of the scale, the groups that performed positively compared to 2023 were the average expenditure per household on Health (17.7%)and on Insurance and financial services, up 12%.

Consumption expenditure according to household characteristics

An analysis of household expenditure in the Basque Country, according to various classification variables for the household and its members, reveals a socio-economic interpretation of the data.

With regard to household size, 1 member households had an average expenditure per person of 23,884 euros in 2024, 54% above the average expenditure for the Basque Country (15,504 euros). Compared to the previous year, 1 member households saw their expenditure per person fall by 524 euros per year on average. 2 member households, with an average expenditure per person of 19,230 euros, stood at 24% above the average, and increased their expenditure per person by 769 euros per year on average. By contrast, as the number of members of the household increased, the average expenditure per person decreased, accordingly, 3 member households (13,573 euros) and those with 4 and more members (11,038 euros), both stood below the average with 12.5% and 28.8%, respectively.

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 2024, with 41,845 euros per year, 15% higher than the Basque Country average, despite the 7.5% decrease in average expenditure compared to 2023, resulting in a decrease in average expenditure per household of 3,399 euros per year. This was followed by households whose main source of income was employed work, with an average expenditure of 37,998 euros per household, down 1.4% on 2023. Lastly, households whose main source of income was pensions, benefits and other payments and regular income registered an average expenditure per household of 33,468 euros, 3.2% higher than the previous year and 8% below the Basque Country average.

As regards household expenditure according to the situation arising from the activity of the primary breadwinner, in households where the primary breadwinner was active in 2024, average household expenditure was 36,714 euros, 1.1% above the average for the Basque Country and down 2.1% on 2023. By contrast, in households where the primary breadwinner was inactive, the average expenditure was 35,658 euros, 1.8% below the average, but with an increase of 3.3% in respect of the previous year.

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 and supplies annual information regarding the nature and destination of consumption expenditure made by households, as well as various characteristics relating to their living conditions.

The data published today for 2024 incorporates the 2018 COICOP (Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose) classification, which substitutes the European ECOICOP (European Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose) classification that has been used in the survey since 2016. The new COICOP 2018 is a United Nations international consumption classification that enables a greater comparability at an international level.

This new classification includes 13 large expenditure groups, one more than the 12 that there were previously, and thus, for the first time, expenditure on Insurance and financial services constitutes a separate group.

Likewise, the Communications group of the previous ECOICOP is now expanded to Information and communications, encompassing part of the expenditure previously included in group 09, which now only includes Leisure, entertainment and culture activities.

Coinciding with the change in the classification of expenditure on goods and services, improvements have been incorporated into the estimates of some of them, with the aim of obtaining more precise expenditure estimates. These changes affect the annotation periods in which certain expenditure is requested and the questionnaires that record the same.

Due to the above, all the data published prior to 2024 needs to be revised and recalculated following the new classification and the improvements implemented in the calculations. This revision will be undertaken over the coming months, and when completed the homogeneous series of data on expenditure on consumption in households from 2016 until 2024 will be made available to users.

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