Changes in purchasing power; household characteristics

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Household characteristics Median changes in purchasing power (%) Persons with purchasing power decrease (%) Persons with purchasing power increase (%) Changes in purchasing power (percentile) 20th percentile (%) Changes in purchasing power (percentile) 40th percentile (%) Changes in purchasing power (percentile) 60th percentile (%) Changes in purchasing power (percentile) 80th percentile (%)
Total persons 3.6 31.1 68.9 -3.8 1.9 5.7 12.8
Type: Single person household 2.0 36.7 63.3 -3.5 0.6 3.2 8.3
Type: Multi-person household 4.1 29.0 71.0 -3.3 2.3 6.2 12.9
Type: One-parent family 4.8 29.6 70.4 -3.6 2.5 7.2 15.2
Type: Couple, total 4.1 28.0 72.0 -2.7 2.4 6.0 12.3
Type: Couple, no children 2.6 28.7 71.3 -2.1 1.6 3.8 8.4
Type: Couple, with child(ren) 5.6 25.5 74.5 -2.1 3.7 7.6 14.0
Type: Multi-person household, n.e.c. 4.3 31.8 68.2 -4.8 2.1 6.6 14.5
Main earner: to 24 years 15.8 26.7 73.3 -6.1 8.3 27.6 75.7
Main earner: 25 to 44 years 5.0 29.3 70.7 -4.0 2.9 7.0 13.6
Main earner: 45 to 64 years 4.5 30.1 69.9 -3.6 2.5 6.6 14.0
Main earner: 65 years or older 1.9 31.6 68.4 -2.4 1.0 2.7 5.6
Main earner: 25 to 34 years 4.9 32.3 67.7 -5.9 2.4 7.1 14.8
Main earner: 35 to 44 years 5.1 27.0 73.0 -2.8 3.3 7.0 12.8
Main earner: 45 to 54 years 5.3 27.2 72.8 -2.7 3.3 7.6 14.9
Main earner: 55 to 64 years 3.5 33.6 66.4 -4.5 1.6 5.4 12.3
Main earner: 65 to 74 years 2.0 33.0 67.0 -3.1 1.0 3.0 8.0
Main earner: 75 to 84 years 1.9 28.4 71.6 -1.6 1.2 2.5 4.2
Main earner: 85 years or older 1.5 35.0 65.0 -2.5 0.6 2.2 4.1
Source: Income as employee/self-employe 5.0 28.6 71.4 -3.7 3.0 7.1 14.4
Source: Income as employee 5.3 25.7 74.3 -2.2 3.4 7.2 13.9
Source: Income as self-employed (total) 3.1 39.3 60.7 -8.9 0.2 6.0 15.2
Source: Income as self-employed ... 3.5 38.8 61.2 -10.1 0.5 6.4 15.3
Source: Income as major shareholder 2.2 39.7 60.3 -5.2 0.1 4.9 13.8
Source: Income as other self-employed 1.7 41.5 58.5 -6.9 -0.2 4.5 14.8
Source: Transfer income 1.7 35.0 65.0 -3.1 0.7 2.6 6.0
Source: Income insurance benefit 1.8 32.6 67.4 -2.5 1.0 2.6 5.3
Source: Unemployment benefit 1.7 46.1 53.9 -14.9 -2.5 5.6 14.6
Source: Sickness/Disability benefit 2.7 36.7 63.3 -4.2 0.9 4.2 9.9
Source: Old-age/survivors pension 1.8 31.6 68.4 -2.2 1.0 2.5 4.8
Source: Social provisions benefit 0.0 49.8 50.2 -4.3 -2.1 2.4 9.2
Source: Social assistance benefit 0.2 49.3 50.7 -4.3 -2.0 3.0 10.0
Source: Social provisions, n.e.c. -0.3 51.2 48.8 -4.2 -2.2 1.2 6.3
Source: Student grant 50.7 17.8 82.2 3.3 31.7 74.5 141.5
Home ownership: Owner-occupied home 3.7 28.8 71.2 -3.1 2.1 5.7 11.7
Home ownership: Rent 3.4 33.6 66.4 -4.0 1.6 5.7 15.0
Home ownership: Rent: no rent subsidy 4.1 28.6 71.4 -4.0 2.3 6.3 15.3
Home ownership: Rent with rent subsidy 2.1 41.2 58.8 -3.8 -0.3 3.9 11.9
Equivalised income: 1st 10%-group 0.1 49.7 50.3 -6.8 -2.2 3.3 14.7
Equivalised income: 2nd 10%-group 2.5 34.7 65.3 -3.5 1.1 4.0 12.2
Equivalised income: 3rd 10%-group 3.3 27.5 72.5 -2.7 2.0 5.2 12.9
Equivalised income: 4th 10%-group 3.8 26.7 73.3 -2.7 2.4 5.8 13.1
Equivalised income: 5th 10%-group 4.2 25.8 74.2 -2.3 2.7 6.1 12.5
Equivalised income: 6th 10%-group 4.4 25.8 74.2 -2.3 2.8 6.3 12.3
Equivalised income: 7th 10%-group 4.4 26.8 73.2 -2.7 2.7 6.3 12.4
Equivalised income: 8th 10%-group 4.3 28.1 71.9 -3.1 2.5 6.3 12.5
Equivalised income: 9th 10%-group 4.2 30.0 70.0 -3.8 2.2 6.2 12.7
Equivalised income: 10th 10%-group 3.1 37.8 62.2 -7.0 0.6 5.7 14.3
Source: CBS.
Explanation of symbols

Table explanation


This table contains figures on the changes of dynamic purchasing power of persons. Changes in purchasing power are only shown for persons with equal characteristics in the reporting year and the year before. The figures in this table are broken down into different household characteristics, like main source of income and age of the main earner. The population consists of all persons in private households with income on January 1st of the reporting year.

Data available from: 2012.

Status of the figures:
The figures in this table for the period 2012 to 2023 are final. The figures for the period 2024 are preliminary.

Changes as of 11 September 2025:
Figures for 2023 have been finalized. Figures for 2024 have been added.

When will new figures be published?
New figures will be published in September 2026.

Description topics

Median changes in purchasing power
Purchasing power is defined as the equivalised household income adjusted for price developments, which are based on the consumer price index (CPI). Purchasing power is used to determine the growth in income in real terms, but is also used to determine (shifts in) differences in prosperity between individuals or households.

The changes are measured by the median change in purchasing power. The median is the middle value of a dataset that has been ordered from the smallest to the largest. The median value separates the higher half from the lower half.
Persons with purchasing power decrease
Percentage of the selected population with a decreasing purchasing power.
Persons with purchasing power increase
Percentage of the selected population with an increasing purchasing power.
Changes in purchasing power (percentile)
Changes in the individual purchasing power are ordered from low to high. Percentiles indicate the boundaries of the change in purchasing power. A corresponding percentage of the population has a smaller change in purchasing power.
20th percentile
20 percent of the population has a lower purchasing power development than this value or has an equal purchasing power development.
40th percentile
40 percent of the population has a lower purchasing power development than this value or has an equal purchasing power development.
60th percentile
60 percent of the population has a lower purchasing power development than this value or has an equal purchasing power development.
80th percentile
80 percent of the population has a lower purchasing power development than this value or has an equal purchasing power development.