Almost a third of family spending, equal to 1,258 billion euros in total in 2023, goes to housing, while just 1% is spent on education: if housing, last year, sucked 364 billion from the pockets of Italians, textbooks and training weighed on family budgets for 9.7 billion, the only item in decline (-2%), in the accounts, compared to 2019. 4% of budgets goes to alcohol and cigarettes, or almost 50 billion.
As for healthcare, spending increased by 5 billion (+12%) from 34 billion to 43 billion, but if in 2019 this item of the family budget occupied 4% of the total, at the end of last year it decreased to 3%. This is what emerges from the x-ray of Italian family consumption carried out by the Unimpresa Study Center, according to which from 2019 to 2023, therefore before and after the Covid pandemic, family spending, especially due to the surge in inflation in the last two years, rose by 171 billion (+16%), from 1,087 billion to 1,258 billion.
“The data are the perfect representation of our society and also show the failures of the public system as well as highlighting some negative characteristics on a cultural level. Starting from the bottom, it is clear that we pay too little attention to training and education; the national health service does not work and imposes excessive sacrifices on families; the ‘transport’ item would be more contained if public administrations, territorial and state, were capable of offering better services to citizens”, comments the president of Unimpresa, Giovanna Ferrara.
According to the Unimpresa Study Center, which processed data from Istat and the Court of Auditors, in 2023 household spending reached 1,258 billion, an increase of 171 billion (+16%) compared to the 1,087 billion of 2019. In the five-year period under examination, the x-ray of Italian consumption shows an invariance in its composition, with the exception of spending on health services which, although growing in absolute terms (+5 billion, from 38 billion to 43 billion), was worth 4% of the total in 2019 and “only” 3% last December.
All items are growing, with increases ranging from 5% to 34%, with two exceptions: the “communications” item, which remained at 23 billion, and the “education” item, which fell by 200 million (-2%) from 9.9 billion to 9.7 billion.
More specifically, out of the total of 1,258 billion, in 2023 the home (utilities, furniture, appliances and maintenance) cost a total of 364 billion, up 53 billion (+17%) compared to the 311 billion of 2019: this item is worth 29% of the total. The second position in the consumption ranking is occupied by food, with 185 billion last year, up 30 billion (+19%) compared to the 155 billion of 2019: compared to the total basket, it went from 14% to 15%.
Third place for transport with 160 billion, up 10 billion compared to the 141 billion of five years ago (+14%), stable at 13% of the total. Various goods and services “withdraw” 150 billion from family accounts, recording, with a 34% increase, the greatest growth equal to 38 billion compared to the 112 billion of 2019: the percentage of total consumption rose from 10% to 12%. Families do not give up hotels and restaurants, which continue to occupy 10% of budgets: the 113 billion of 2019 have become, with a growth of 11 billion (+9%), 124 billion.
Spending on leisure and culture also grew by 13 billion (+16%), remaining stable at 7% of budgets, going from 73 billion to 86 billion. 66 billion were spent on clothing and footwear, one billion more (+2%) than the 65 billion in 2019: the share of the total slightly decreased, falling by 6% to 5%. Alcoholic beverages and cigarettes are still worth 4%: the 46 billion in 2019, however, became 48 billion, an increase of 2 billion (+5%).
As for health services, to address the shortages of hospitals and public services, 43 billion were needed in 2023, which, although up by 5 billion (+12%) compared to 2019, today corresponds to 3% of total spending, therefore down if compared to the 4% of five years ago. Communications are stable at 2% of the total and overall spending also remained unchanged at 23 billion. Education brings up the rear, occupying only 1% of budgets: the 9.9 billion of 2019, however, were cut by 200 million to 9.7 billion with a reduction (the only one in family accounts) to record a decrease, equal to 2%.