50% of Bulgarians Decide on Personal Consumption Spending

Fewer than 50% of Bulgarians make their own decisions concerning their own personal consumption, leisure activities and hobbies, according to Eurostat data.

The Statistical Office of the EU, as cited by the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (BTA), notes that around 70% of Europeans say that in most cases they have the ability to decide about expenses for own personal consumption.

According to Eurostat data, in 70% of Bulgarian households the decisions on household expenses are taken by both partners, which is close to the EU-27 level.

The highest share of joint planning of the household budget was registered in Malta, where nearly 86% of households decide on household expenses together, followed by Romania with 85%, Greece with 82% and Hungary and Spain with around 80%.

In Finland, Estonia, Slovakia, and Slovenia, around 50% of households decide on household expenses together.

Analysts say that decisions on expenses for repair works are more often taken by men, while decisions on expenses for everyday needs or expenses for the children are mainly made by women.

There are also big differences in terms of how expenses are covered if the household ends up relying on only one of the two partners.

In France, Ireland, Austria, and Norway, one employed partner manages to cover around 25% of the needs of the household, while in Bulgaria and Romania one employed partner covers only 2% of the needs of the household.

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