Household real income per capita increased by 0.1% in both the euro area and the broader European Union in the second quarter of 2026, according to new data from Eurostat.
In the euro area, the increase followed growth of 0.1% in the first quarter, while household real consumption per capita increased by 0.3% during the second quarter, after remaining unchanged in the previous quarter.
Across the EU, meanwhile, household real income per capita also increased by 0.1%, following growth of 0.3% in the first quarter, while real consumption increased by 0.4% after falling by 0.1% in the first quarter.
According to Eurostat, the increase in household real income in the euro area was mainly explained by the ‘positive contribution of net property income and other net current transfers’, while in the EU, it was driven by the ‘compensation of employees and social benefits other than social transfers in kind’.
On the negative side, gross operating surplus and gross mixed income were the largest contributing factor in the euro area, while current taxes and net social contributions were the largest negative contributors in the EU.
Household saving rate
Eurostat’s data showed that the household saving rate fell by 0.2 percentage points in the euro area and by 0.3 percentage points in the EU compared with the first quarter. The euro area saving rate stood at 14.2%, down from 14.4% in the first quarter, while the EU rate fell to 13.9% from 14.2%.
Among the Member States for which data were available, household saving rates increased in four countries and decreased in 11. Poland and Czechia recorded the largest increases, both at 0.6 percentage points. Finland recorded the largest decrease (-1.6 pp), followed by Hungary (-1.4 pp) and Italy (-1.2 pp).
Household investment rates
Elsewhere, household investment rates were unchanged in the euro area and fell by 0.1 percentage point in the EU. The euro area investment rate remained at 8.3%, while the EU rate decreased from 8.1% to 8.0%.
The largest increase in household investment rate was recorded in Hungary (+0.7 pp) and Czechia (+0.3 pp), while the largest decrease was observed in Ireland (-0.7 pp) and Italy (-0.3 pp). Read more here.
