Cart increasingly empty, real spending has decreased by 9% since 2019

The supermarket trolley is increasingly empty for Italians. Net of inflation, real household spending on consumption recorded a decline of almost 9% between 2019 and 2025, equal to a virtual reduction from 224 euros per month per household. This was stated by the Consumption Training and Research Center (Crc) on the basis of Istat data.

At a nominal level, the average monthly expenditure on consumption in Italy went from 2,560 euros in 2019 to 2,782 euros in 2025, with an increase of around 222 euros per household but with strong differences across the territory, explains the Crc. However, the consumption data are very different if we take into account the very heavy increases in prices and tariffs recorded in recent years: Covid, the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis have in fact led to an escalation of retail prices in all sectors, increases which did not subside once the emergencies were over and which Italians still continue to pay today, forcing them to change their spending habits, underlines the Center.

Net of inflation, in 2025 real average spending decreased in Italy by 8.7% compared to the pre-pandemic period, with a virtual drop from -224 euros per household. But the increases have not had the same effect across the entire territory - highlights the Crc - Puglia is the region that records the strongest reduction in real spending, which fell on average by 18.7% since 2019, followed by Bolzano (-17.2%) province which pays the price of the highest inflation rate in recent years, and Calabria (-14.9%). Going against the trend are Umbria, where family spending increased in real terms by 9.9% in the 2019-2025 comparison, the Marche (+9%), Trento (+8.2%), Abruzzo (+6.1%).

"The strong increase in retail prices recorded in recent years has produced a paradoxical situation: Italians spend more to purchase less and less - highlights the president of the scientific committee of the CRC, Furio Truzzi - The confirmation comes from Istat, according to which in the last year one in three families has reduced spending on food and drinks, 44% on clothing, 38.2% have cut purchases for personal care, 25.4% have reduced purchases for healthcare, while almost half of the families (45% of the total) have changed their travel habits".