Malta registers big drop in consumption expenditure

Malta has registered a significant drop in consumption expenditure, estimated by Eurostat to reach 22%, far exceeding the decrease registered on an EU-wide level, which reached 8%.

Eurostat said that this is the largest annual reduction recorded since the time series started, attributing it to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Social distancing measures, government restrictions imposed on the movement of people and non-essential economic activities severely affected household consumption expenditure.

When comparing 2019 with 2020, the largest decrease was recorded in Malta (around -22%), followed by Croatia, Spain and Greece (all around -16%). On the other hand, the smallest decreases were recorded in Slovakia and Denmark (both around -2%), followed by Lithuania and Poland (both around -3%).