Greek households spent considerably more than their disposable income in 2025, drawing further on savings as household expenditure rose faster than earnings, according to preliminary figures from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
Disposable income for households and nonprofit institutions serving households rose 3.7% to 165.4 billion euros in 2025, from 159.4 billion euros the previous year. Over the same period, final consumption expenditure (FCE) increased 5.2%, reaching 171.8 billion euros, compared with 163.3 billion euros in 2024. The figures put the gap between disposable income and consumption expenditure at 6.4 billion euros in 2025, up from 3.9 billion euros a year earlier.
The difference was also reflected in the household savings rate, which measures gross savings as a percentage of gross disposable income. The rate fell to minus 3.9% in 2025, compared with minus 2.4% in 2024. A negative savings rate indicates that households, in aggregate, are spending more than their disposable income.
Greek Household Income Records One of EU’s Steepest Declines
Separate figures from Eurostat showed that gross disposable household income in Greece fell 2.5% in the first quarter of 2026, the second-largest decline among EU member states. Only Romania recorded a steeper fall, at 8.1%, while Austria was the third country to report a decline, at 1.8%.
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Greece was also among nine EU countries where the household savings rate declined during the first quarter. By comparison, the household savings rate remained stable across the eurozone and increased in the EU as a whole.
Source: OT.gr