Consumption, Cgia: 60% of household spending goes on food, petrol and bills
Due to inflation we spend more, we bring home fewer goods and most of the spending – for food, fuel and bills – we do to “live” and to get to and from work. Between 2021 and 2022, in fact, the outlays for obligatory expenses of the average Italian family increased by 171 euros (+16.6 percent). Otherwise, complementary ones (or marketable consumption) languish.
Although in 2022 the average increase in inflation stood at around 8%, in absolute terms the increase in this type of expenditure is estimated to be nil. In other words, it is hypothesized that in the last two years the average Italian family has spent 815 euros a month to purchase alcohol, clothing/footwear, furniture, leisure time, catering, accommodation, education, healthcare and personal care.
But if organized large-scale distribution and online sales have recorded positive results, small-scale commercial and artisanal activities in the sectors just mentioned have instead seen their economic condition worsen.
Household spending region by region
The consolidated data by geographical breakdown referring to 2021, on the other hand, show us that the incidence of compulsory spending on the total is higher in the South and in the Islands than in other areas of the country. Obviously, the lower spending capacity of families in the South contributes significantly to the emergence of this result. It should also be noted that starting from 2017, the incidence of compulsory expenditure on the total tends to grow until it reaches the peak estimated for 2022 of 59.6%.
According to the latest data available up to 2021, the highest average expenditure at national level is for households residing in the autonomous province of Bozen (3,116 euros). The located ones follow in Lombardy (2,904 euros), in the autonomous province of Trento (2.791 euro), in Valle d’Aosta (2,721 euros) and in Lazio (2,712 euros). Sicily (1,992 euros), Calabria (1,915 euros) and Puglia (1,808 euros) close the ranking.
From the breakdown of the three items that make up the obligatory expenses (housing, food and transport) it emerges that the sum of consumption for bills (electricity, water, gas, waste), basic foodstuffs (bread, milk and meat) and fuels (diesel, petrol, tolls) amount to over 52% of the average annual compulsory expenditure of the Italian family (equal to 1,202 euros).
The bills, for example, are close to 54% of the entire cost of the item Housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels. Shopping for bread, milk and meat, on the other hand, is equal to 50% of the total expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages. Finally, fuel and tolls amount to 53% of the total expense of the Transportation item.
