Monthly Household Spending Indicator

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Experimental indicator of household spending using bank transactions data

Reference period
May 2022
Released
12/07/2022

Key statistics

  • Household spending increased 7.9% through the year, current price, calendar adjusted.
  • Through the year, household spending increased for both goods (+5.7%) and services (+10.2%).
  • Through the year, both discretionary (+8.9%) and non-discretionary (+6.8%) spending increased.

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. 

This release of the indicator includes four new series: Good, Services, Discretionary spending and Non-discretionary spending. To see more information about these new series, please refer to the attached information paper.

Through the year spending

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

  • transport (+14.5%)
  • miscellaneous goods and services (+12.6%)
  • hotels, cafes and restaurants (+10.3%).

Goods and services spending

Through the year, household spending on:

  • services rose 10.2%, driven by increased spending on transport and recreational services. 
  • goods rose 5.7%, driven by rises in miscellaneous goods, food, clothing and footwear. 

Discretionary and non-discretionary spending

Through the year: 

  • discretionary household spending rose 8.9%, driven by spending in recreation and culture. 
  • non-discretionary household spending rose 6.8%, driven by spending on transport. 

State and territory spending

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

  • Queensland (+10.4%)
  • South Australia (+10.4%)
  • Victoria (+9.1%).

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

  • clothing and footwear (+18.7%)
  • hotels, cafes and restaurants (+18.4%)
  • miscellaneous goods and services (+17.8%).

In South Australia, the strongest household spending categories through the year were:

  • furnishings and household equipment (+19.4%)
  • transport (+16.8%)
  • hotels, cafes and restaurants (+16.2%).

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

  • recreation and culture (+17.9%)
  • furnishings and household equipment (+17.7%)
  • transport (+17.7%).
State household spending through the year by category, current price, calendar adjusted (%)
 NSWVic.QldSAWATas.NTACT
Food3.50.85.19.215.7-7-3.2
Alcoholic beverages and tobacco4.8-5.5560.1-0.79.2-6.5
Clothing and footwear-113.218.73.916.62.11.2-18.4
Furnishings and household equipment11.217.78.819.4-3.910.1-7-3.5
Health1.50.9-0.52-2.8-59-3.4
Transport10.417.715.716.816.91616.919.5
Recreation and culture5.817.911.37.85.51.110.26
Hotels, cafes and restaurants9.87.618.416.27.319.3-3.85.7
Miscellaneous goods and services13.79.817.811.113816.79.2
Total6.69.110.410.45.76.85.13.2
State household spending through the year by goods/services, current price, calendar adjusted (%)
 NSWVic.QldSAWATas.NTACT
Goods5.46.57.99.52.81.7-3.4-4.6
Services7.911.91311.18.811.911.110.3
State household discretionary/non-discretionary spending, through the year, current price, calendar adjusted (%)
 NSWVic.QldSAWATas.NTACT
Discretionary7.212.112.410.75.44.45.80.3
Non Discretionary6.16.28.610.26.18.94.25.6

Data downloads

The following datacubes have been updated to include the new categories and re-ordered to:

  1. Calendar adjusted - Index
  2. Calendar adjusted - Through the year
  3. Calendar adjusted - Monthly
  4. Original - Index
  5. Original - Through the year
  6. Original - Monthly

Monthly Household Spending Indicator Data Cubes

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

Data files

Revisions and future development

Minor improvements to the indicator methodology has resulted in some revisions. For more information, please refer to the information paper

Updates to source data and additional processing have also 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 and welcomes comments on the usefulness of these estimates. 

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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