Demographics and consumption: evolution and composition of household expenditure in Italy

Concetta Rondinelli (), Federico Tullio () and Francesca Zanichelli ()
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Concetta Rondinelli: Bank of Italy
Federico Tullio: Bank of Italy
Francesca Zanichelli: Bank of Italy

No 1033, Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) from Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area

Abstract: This paper analyses the extent to which demographic changes have affected household consumption behaviour over the period 1997-2023. Using microdata from the Italian Household Budget Survey (HBS), we show that average household expenditure in real terms declined significantly over the last twenty-five years. Changes in population structure contributed to this trend: population ageing had only a limited impact, whereas the decline in average household size and in the share of couples with children played an important role. These changes, on the other hand, mitigated the decline in per-capita consumption and had only a negligible effect on equivalised consumption. The composition of household expenditure remained broadly stable over time for most expenditure categories. By contrast, the share allocated to housing and utilities increased substantially, mainly reflecting relative price dynamics and, to a lesser extent, the rising prevalence of single-person households.

Keywords: consumption pattern; demographics; Covid-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C52 D12 J11 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-07
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bdi:opques:qef_1033_26

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