Consumer spending in Greece dropped further in 2015 as a result of continuing recession, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
Household spending declined further as average monthly expenditures in 2015 amounted to 1,419.57 euros, dropping 2.8% (or 40.95 euros) compared to 2014.
In contrast, the risk of poverty fell to 19.7% of the population, as it was 20.6% in 2014, when considering that the acquisition of goods is only by purchase.
The relevant index falls further to 13.2% of the population (as opposed to 14% in 2014) when considering all consumer spending, regardless of the manner of acquisition (imputed rent from home ownership, goods and services provided free by the employer, self-produced goods and self-rendered services, goods received from non-profit organizations or state free of charge etc.)
According to the ELSTAT Household Survey, the largest share of expenditure of the average household budget concerns foodstuffs (20.7%), followed by housing (13.3%) and transportation (12.8%), while educational services account for a smaller share of the costs (3.3%).
Compared to the previous survey (2014), the largest spending change, a decrease of 8.6%, is shown in durable goods, followed by expenditure on education (down by 8.1%) and miscellaneous goods and services (down by 5.3 %).
Overall, in eleven of the twelve categories of household expenditures there is a drop in spending, with the lowest drop of 1.1% on cultural and recreational activities.
The only category of expenditure that showed a rise is in health services, where spending went up by 1.2%.
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