EU consumption expenditure grows, alcohol & tobacco dip

In 2025, household final consumption expenditure, corrected for inflation, grew by 1.6% in the EU compared with 2024. This increase was slightly smaller than in 2024, when growth stood at 1.8%. Among the main categories, household spending on information and communication recorded the highest rise (+3.3%), followed by recreation, sport and culture (+3.1%) and clothing and footwear (+2.7%). Alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics (-1.9%) was the only category to register a decline, confirming the...