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09 June 2021 According to the data released today by Istat, in 2020 the average monthly expenditure of households resident in Italy amounted to 2,328 euros per month, down 9% compared to 2,560 euros in 2019



. statistic, of the most pronounced contraction since 1997, the year of the start of the historical series, which brings the average current expenditure figure back to 2000 levels. In the 2012-2013 two-year period, when the largest decline was recorded in the period considered, the 2011 was a total of 6.4%. 



Travel and vacation

In 2020, the item of expenditure that families have most limited following the limitations for the pandemic is that for travel and holidays. Among those who already spent on this item in 2019, the percentage of those who reduced it compared to the previous year is 46.8%. This percentage is equal to 44.1% in the North and Center and 56.6% in the South. Istat notes it.



Clothing

Next, the other item of expenditure that, in 2020, families contained more than the previous year is that for clothing and footwear: 45.5% of those who already purchased these goods a year before the interview in fact, it limited the outlay. In the North this percentage is 39.6%, in the Center 42.1% and in the South 56.8%. 



Medical expenses

In contrast to travel and holidays and clothing and footwear, the item of expenditure that families have limited to a lesser extent is that for medical examinations and periodic checks (15.7%), with the North where this share falls to 11.0% and the South where it rises to 24.6% (in the Center it is equal to 12.9%). 



Household and food expenses

The decline in consumption in 2020 compared to 2019 sees the expenditure for food and non-alcoholic beverages substantially unchanged (468 euros per month) and that for housing, water, electricity and other fuels, ordinary and extraordinary maintenance (893 euros per month, of which 587 euros of figurative rents). Istat underlines this, explaining that these are, in fact, expenses "difficult to compress, only marginally affected by government restrictions" arranged for the pandemic and that, indeed, may have been favored by the greater stay of families inside the home.



Catering and recreational activities

The most drastic decreases concern the expenditure items on which the containment measures have acted most and directly, that is, accommodation and catering services (-38.9%, 79 euros per month on average in 2020) and Recreation, entertainment and culture (-26.4%, € 93 per month), followed by chapters heavily penalized by the limitation to circulation and sociability, such as Transport (-24.6%, € 217 per month in 2020) and Clothing and footwear (-23.3% , 88 euros per month).