Brussels –In January 2026, almost half (46.0 per cent) of total household expenditure in the European Union was spent on three categories: food and non-alcoholic drinks, housing, water and energy, and transport, according to Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office. This proportion has remained broadly stable in recent years: it stood at 46.2 per cent in January 2025, 46.3 per cent in 2024, and just under half in 2023.
More specifically, the share of expenditure on food fell from 16.8 per cent in 2024 to 16.4 per cent in 2025, whilst transport and housing each remained at around 15 per cent. Moving into 2026, however, it is transport in particular that accounts for a smaller share (-0.4 percentage points).
By contrast, spending on leisure, sport and culture rose by 1.2 percentage points from January 2025, followed by restaurants and accommodation services (+0.3 percentage points) and education (+0.1 percentage point). The data suggests a gradual shift in the consumer basket towards certain service and discretionary spending categories, following years marked by inflation and rising costs of essential needs.
