This is how Italian household consumption has changed in thirty years

More technology, leisure and culture among the most important expenses for Italians. Over the past three decades, per capita spending on computers and telephones has grown dramatically by almost 3,000%. Leisure-related consumption - in particular cultural and recreational services - also showed significant progress, with a real increase of more than 120%. Out-of-home consumption items such as catering (+25.7%) and overnight stays for travel and holidays (+18%) are doing well, but are not managing to catch up in real terms with pre-pandemic levels, while purchases of clothing and footwear are down, weighed down by a structural change in demand, now oriented towards lower value items, such as those of fast fashion, intrinsically compared to the past. The Confcommercio Studies Office has analysed the evolution of Italian families' consumption over the last thirty years. Compared to 1995, expenditure items such as food and beverages dropped, -5.1%, clothing lost half a point, furniture and household appliances remained substantially stable (+0.8%). Real consumption of domestic energy decreased (-35.1%), mainly due to the growing focus on energy saving and energy efficiency thanks to the arrival on the market of less energy-consuming appliances such as all household appliances and LED bulbs, although the unit price of energy has risen considerably.

"Italians are returning to spending but with caution, favouring above all the technology sector," commented Carlo Sangalli, president of Confcommercio. "The impact of tariffs is worrying and generates uncertainty. We need signs of confidence, starting with tax reform, to revive consumption and investments". In fact, on the availability front, this year real per capita spending on the economic territory reached 22,114 euro compared to 19,322 euro in 1995, an increase of 239 euro compared to 2024 but still lower (-220 euro real) than the peaks of 2007, before the subprime mortgage crisis hit the world economy.

In a year for families the first item of expenditure is housing and its management which at current prices this year weighs 29.3% against 25.8% in 1995 followed by meals in or out whose percentage weight today is 23% against 23.7% thirty years earlier. After these obligatory expenses comes self-care, a fundamental item, but here the vicissitudes of the important item 'clothing and footwear' compress its dynamics. Trends in leisure-related services are improving. Over the last two years, spending on consumption outside the home, travel and holidays and transport services has grown. From these consumptions, also related to incoming, passes a potential important boost to Italian GDP growth in the next two years.