Household consumption expenditure

Structure of consumption expenditure is one of the key indicators characterising population welfare. Data on household consumption expenditure are collected through the Household Budget Survey (HBS).

Consumption expenditure is a value of goods and services purchased for individual consumption. This value includes both purchases in cash and in kind (i.e., an estimated value of goods/services received free of charge) and is given at the prices of the reference year.

Consumption expenditure in kind includes:

- food products cultivated in a backyard garden or sourced from natural environments (such as through foraging, fishing, or hunting), obtained free of charge from other households, employers, or the local government;

-  services received free of charge from employers or the local government, as well as firewood collected and processed by households themselves.

For the HBS, consumption expenditure is classified into 12 functional groups, aligning with the International Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose (ECOICOP).

At the national level, the group ‘Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels’ does not include imputed rent for owner-occupied dwellings. However, international comparisons published by Eurostat include it.

Consumption expenditure does not include expenditures of private businesses and investments, expenditures related to repayment and servicing of loans, as well as investments in financial assets and other valuables.

HBS was not conducted in 2017 and 2018. The last HBS was conducted in 2019, and the next will be conducted in 2025.