Consumption up in October

In October, domestic household consumption was 2.3 percent higher than in October 2005. Households spent 2.9 percent more on goods and 1.7 percent more on services.

Spending on durable consumer goods increased most in October. This was also the case in the previous months. Household spending on durable consumer goods increased by 4.6 percent, compared with October 2005. Durables include, for example, furniture, clothes, cars, TV sets and washing machines. In the first ten months of 2006, households spent 7 percent more on consumer durables than in the same period last year. Such exuberant growth figures have not occurred since the economic boom at the end of the 1990s.

Compared with the growth rate in previous years, consumption growth measured so far in 2006 is high, also from an international point of view. More information on this subject can be found in the focus article: “Dutch consumption growth above European average”, published on 18 December.

The figures are corrected for price changes and differences in shopping day patterns. Figures on consumption are affected by the new Dutch health care system, introduced in January 2006. This has been taken into account.

Domestic household consumption (volume)