EU Household Income and Savings in Q2 2026: Eurostat Data by Country

Eurostat data for Q2 2026: how real household income, consumption and saving rates changed in the EU, the euro area, Poland, Finland and Italy

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Real household income in the European Union barely moved in the second quarter of 2026, while households spent more and saved less. According to Eurostat's quarterly European sector accounts, published on 28 October 2026, real income per person rose by 0.1% in both the euro area and the EU. Real consumption grew faster, and the household saving rate fell in both areas.

The figures matter to anyone who earns and spends money in Europe, including local workers, expats and people weighing a move. Real income shows what earnings are worth once price changes are taken into account. The Ukrainian outlet Finance.ua also reported the data on 29 October.

Comparing EU countries before taking a job abroad?

Household income figures show how average earnings change, but a job search also depends on permits, local rules and working conditions. The Work guide from Visit World brings together practical information on finding work and working legally in your chosen country. Choose the Work guide for your destination and plan your move.

How did real household income change in the EU in Q2 2026?

Eurostat compares each quarter with the previous one, using seasonally adjusted data. The main results for the second quarter of 2026 are:

• Euro area, real household income per capita: +0.1%, after +0.1% in the first quarter;
• Euro area, real consumption per capita: +0.3%, after no change in the first quarter;
• EU, real household income per capita: +0.1%, after +0.3% in the first quarter;
• EU, real consumption per capita: +0.4%, after a fall of 0.1% in the first quarter.

Eurostat also revised the first-quarter figures. Real income growth was raised from 0.0% to 0.1% for the euro area and from 0.1% to 0.3% for the EU. EU consumption for the first quarter was revised from -0.2% to -0.1%.

About why incomes in Europe are rising while purchasing power is falling — read more at the link.

Why did household income grow?

According to Eurostat, the drivers differed between the two areas:

• In the euro area, growth came mainly from net property income and other net current transfers. The largest negative contribution came from gross operating surplus and gross mixed income.
• In the EU, growth came mainly from compensation of employees and social benefits other than social transfers in kind. The largest negative contribution came from current taxes and net social contributions.

How did the household saving rate change?

The household saving rate fell by 0.2 percentage points in the euro area, from 14.4% in the first quarter to 14.2% in the second. In the EU it fell by 0.3 percentage points, from 14.2% to 13.9%.

The household investment rate in the euro area stayed at 8.3%. In the EU it fell by 0.1 percentage points to 8.0%.

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Which EU countries saw the biggest changes in savings?

Among the member states with available data, the saving rate rose in four and fell in eleven. Eurostat does not publish figures for countries whose GDP is less than 1% of EU GDP.

Where households saved more

• Poland — saving rate +0.6 percentage points, gross disposable income +5.2%, individual consumption expenditure +1.6%;
• The Czech Republic — saving rate +0.6 percentage points, income +2.1%, consumption +1.3%.

Where households saved less

• Finland — saving rate -1.6 percentage points, income -0.9%, consumption +1.0%;
• Hungary — saving rate -1.4 percentage points, income +0.6%, consumption +1.8%;
• Italy — saving rate -1.2 percentage points, income +0.4%, consumption +1.7%.

The Finance.ua report names only Finland and Hungary among the largest falls; the Eurostat release lists Italy as the third. Neither source explains the reasons for the changes in individual countries.

The household investment rate rose most in Hungary (+0.7 percentage points) and the Czech Republic (+0.3). It fell most in Ireland (-0.7) and Italy (-0.3).

About the most expensive and cheapest EU countries to live in — read more at the link.

Percent or percentage point: what is the difference?

Eurostat uses two units in its tables. Growth in income and consumption is shown in percent. The saving rate is itself a percentage, so its change is shown in percentage points: the difference between two levels. A fall from 14.4% to 14.2% is a change of -0.2 percentage points. Finance.ua sometimes uses a different abbreviation for the same unit.

Real income, as Eurostat defines it, is adjusted gross disposable household income in nominal terms, divided by population and by the price index (deflator) of household actual final consumption. Real consumption is calculated the same way from household actual final consumption, so both figures reflect price changes.

What do the Q2 2026 figures mean for workers and expats in Europe?

The statistics describe averages for whole countries, not individual salaries. When comparing destinations, it helps to look at real rather than nominal income and to note that EU aggregates can be affected by exchange rates, since national data are converted into euros.

The figures may also change: Eurostat revises earlier quarters, as it did for the first quarter of 2026. The next release of the household sector accounts is scheduled for 28 January 2027.

Statistics give the big picture, but working abroad starts with the rules of one country. Get the Work guide for your destination and prepare your job search abroad.

We remind you! In our previous article, we wrote about where household incomes are growing fastest in Europe in 2026.

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