Portugal registering the 6th biggest fall.

In 2020, a year marked by the sudden appearance of the Covid-19 pandemic, household consumption expenditures in the European Union (EU) decreased by 8% compared to the previous year. A less accentuated year-on-year decline than that seen in Portugal (12%), which saw Portugal having the sixth largest decrease in EU domestic expenditure, according to recent data from Eurostat.

According to the European Statistics Office, the 8% drop in household expenditure is the biggest annual reduction since the beginning of the series, with all EU countries recording a decrease in household expenditure, with Malta leading the ranking (22%). Next in the list are Croatia, Spain and Greece (all around 16%) and Cyprus (around 14%), followed by Portugal.

At the bottom of the table, that is, with milder declines in domestic consumption, in 2020 compared to 2019, are Slovakia and Denmark (about 2%) and Lithuania and Poland (about 3%).

These expenses include, for example, electricity, water, gas and accommodation, as well as food and beverages, transport and cultural expenses.