Y-o-y disposable income and consumer spending change private households Germany 2023

In the past three years, there have been large fluctuations in consumer spending and smaller changes in disposable income in private German households. In 2023, disposable income was up 6.9 percent from the previous year and consumer spending had increased by 6.3 percent. 2022 had the largest increase in consumer spending, at almost 11 percent.

Economic situation

The economy also has a big impact on people’s spending habits. In the wake of the pandemic, there have been several economic hardships, including extremely high inflation rates. Both 2022 and 2023 saw high inflation rates at 8.67 and 6.03 percent respectively. The general atmosphere among people in Germany is that the economic situation will get worse in the future, which could cause them to be more cautious in their spending habits. This assessment is based on the perspective of the population and not a prediction of the direction in which the German economy is headed. So although it may influence spending patterns to some extent, the amount of money people receive each month and the price of goods will have a much bigger influence.

Consumer goods

The most popular non-food consumer goods that are bought in Germany are pharmaceuticals, orthopedic products, textiles, and clothing and shoes. The top result is perhaps unsurprising, as medication is something that is not optional to buy for those who are reliant on it and in some cases can be quite expensive. Similarly, clothing and shoes are also essentials and, for some people, a passion, in which case they can spend a substantial amount of money on cultivating their wardrobe. When it came to the best-selling FMCG products, the top three products were pasta products, organic fruit, vegetables, and salty snacks.