Household spending over 1 percent up in August

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© CBS / Nikki van Toorn
According to figures released by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Dutch consumers spent 1.4 percent more in August 2019 than in August 2018. The growth rate was similar to that in the previous month. Consumers spent mainly more on services.

The CBS Consumption Radar shows that circumstances for Dutch household consumption in October are, on balance, less favourable than in August.

Consumption figures have been adjusted for price changes and differences in the shopping-day pattern.

Domestic household consumption (volume, adjusted for shopping days)
Year MonthChange (year-on-year % change)
2015September3
2015October2.5
2015November1.2
2015December1.5
2016January0.1
2016February0.4
2016March0.8
2016April0.8
2016May1.4
2016June0.8
2016July2.1
2016August1.2
2016September0.9
2016October1.7
2016November2.4
2016December1.6
2017January3.5
2017February2.2
2017March2.5
2017April2.8
2017May3
2017June2.7
2017July2.5
2017August2.3
2017September3.3
2017October1
2017November2.5
2017December1.7
2018January1.8
2018February3.2
2018March3.1
2018April3.3
2018May2.2
2018June2.7
2018July3
2018August2.8
2018September2.2
2018October2.3
2018November2.5
2018December2
2019January1.2
2019February0.7
2019March1.2
2019April1.6
2019May2.5
2019June1.4
2019July1.5
2019August1.4

Spending on services up in particular

In August, consumers spent 1.1 percent more on durable goods than in the same month last year, mainly on home furnishings and household appliances. Spending on other goods such as energy and motor fuels was up by 1.3 percent year-on-year. Consumers spent 0.8 percent more on food, beverages and tobacco than one year previously. Last week, CBS reported that retail turnover was 3.0 percent up in August year-on-year. The volume of sales increased by 0.8 percent. These figures were also adjusted for the shopping-day pattern.

Consumer spending on services – which accounts for over half of total domestic consumer expenditure - rose by 1.6 percent in August 2019 year-on-year. These services include insurance premiums, house rent, public transportation and visits to restaurants or hairdressers.

Domestic household consumption by category (volume, adjusted for shopping days), August 2019
 change (year-on-year % change)
Services1.6
Other goods (e.g. gas)1.3
Durable consumer goods1.1
Food, drinks and tobacco0.8
Total1.4

Consumer climate in October less favourable than in August

Every month, CBS publishes figures about circumstances for household consumption in the CBS Consumption Radar. Household consumption is influenced by factors such as consumers’ expectations, their personal financial situation and developments on the labour market. Although the Radar indicators show a strong correlation with household consumption, improved circumstances are not necessarily translated into increased growth.

According to the CBS Consumption Radar, circumstances for Dutch household consumption in October are less favourable than in August. This is mainly because consumers’ expectations about future unemployment were less positive and the year-on-year increase in the employed labour force was smaller than in the previous month.

The figures presented in this news release are provisional and subject for revision.

With effect from the reporting month July 2019, figures are published using 2015 as the base year.