Monthly Household Spending Indicator

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Experimental indicator of household spending using bank transactions data

Reference period
March 2022
Released
23/05/2022

Key statistics

  • Household spending increased 6.6% through the year, current price, calendar adjusted.
  • Through the year, household spending increased the most for recreation and culture (+17.8%), clothing and footwear (+15.2%), and transport (+12.5%).
  • Victoria (+8.5%) and Queensland (+8.5%) were the states with highest increase in household spending through the year.

Index reference period January 2019 = 100.0

Indicator estimates are produced in current price original and current price calendar adjusted terms. Calendar adjusted estimates account for trading day impacts and length of month. As the indicator time series lengthens, seasonally adjusted estimates will become available. Until such time, it is advised to focus on the through the year movements. Through the year movements measure change in the current month compared to the same month in the previous year. 

Through the year spending

Through the year household spending increased in seven spending categories. The largest increases were in:

  • recreation and culture (+17.8%)
  • clothing and footwear (+15.2%)
  • Transport (+12.5%).

The only categories to show decreases in household spending through the year were:

  • alcoholic beverages and tobacco (-16.5%)
  • health (-2.3%).

State and territory spending

Household spending increased through the year for all states and territories. The strongest increases were in:

  • Victoria (+8.5%)
  • Queensland (+8.5%).

In Victoria, the strongest household spending categories through the year were:

  • recreation and culture (+20.3%)
  • transport (+17.8%)
  • hotels, cafes and restaurants (+17.6%).

In Queensland, the strongest household spending categories through the year were:

  • recreation and culture (+22.0%)
  • clothing and footwear (+21.7%)
  • transport (+15.4%).
State household spending through the year by category, current price, calendar adjusted (%)
 NSWVic.QldSAWATas.NTACT
Food54.975.25.23.941.1
Alcoholic beverages and tobacco-16.7-16.5-13.9-22-19-18.5-11.5-7.7
Clothing and footwear17.816.321.77.71.77.818.2-23.7
Furnishings and household equipment6128.120.39.314.6-10.520.8
Health-4.5-2.35.2-5.9-4.6-11.2-1.11.7
Transport6.117.815.412.29.38.923.122.8
Recreation and culture13.620.32221.118.217.125.511.8
Hotels, cafes and restaurants8.217.610.86.52.112.22.912.6
Miscellaneous goods and services2.54.61.93.927.71.71.5
Total4.68.58.55.7456.16.8

Data downloads

Monthly Household Spending Indicator Data Cubes

Includes index numbers, monthly percentage changes and through the year percentage changes. 

Data files

Revisions

Updates to source data and additional processing have resulted in some revisions to the outputs. 

The new experimental monthly household spending indicator uses new and innovative methodologies to produce indicators of household spending based on bank transactions data.

The ABS is continuing to assess and refine the monthly household spending indicator methodologies.  The ABS will next month incorporate a number of minor technical improvements to the indicator, and publish additional analytical categories.  An information paper outlining these changes, and discussing coherence with other ABS estimates will also be published. 

The ABS is able to provide technical advice on using the monthly household spending indicator estimates, and its coherence with other ABS estimates such as Monthly Retail Trade and the National Accounts.

The ABS welcomes comments on the usefulness of these estimates.  If you would like to provide feedback or request technical advice, please email national.accounts@abs.gov.au.

Acknowledgement

The ABS would like to acknowledge the ongoing support of the participating banks that have enabled the ABS to produce these statistics.

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