Austrian consumers spent the most on cultural activities in 2020

Austrian consumers had the highest level of expenditure on cultural goods and services in the EU in 2020, new data from Eurostat has found.

Households in the European Union spent, on average, 2.6% of their total expenditure on cultural activities in 2020, although spending varied considerably across the bloc, due to several factors, including household income, price levels, the ease of access to cultural venues, national cultural policies, and habits.

Austria leads the way

Based on a purchasing power standard – calculated by dividing the economic aggregate of a country in national currency by its respective purchasing power parities – Austria had the highest level of expenditure on cultural goods and services in 2020, followed by Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands.

At the other end of the scale, the EU countries with the lowest household expenditure on cultural activities were Bulgaria, Lithuania, Slovakia and Greece.

On average, approximately one-quarter of the EU households’ expenditures on culture in 2020 were allocated to computer and audio-video equipment (26.9%), with another quarter dedicated to books and press (25.1%).

Additionally, one-fifth (20.8%) was spent on broadcasters’ fees and hiring of equipment and accessories for cultural activities, while 13.7% was earmarked for attendance and entertainment.

Top EU countries by household spend on cultural goods and services in 2020 (PPS)

e: Estimated data. Data for Ireland, Portugal, Romania, Finland, Sweden, and Norway is not available.

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