France Household Spending Unexpectedly Drops

Household consumption of goods in France dropped 0.6% month-on-month in December 2025, following a 0.3% decrease in November and exceeding expectations of a 0.4% fall. The decline was driven by a sharp pullback in engineered goods consumption (-1.0% vs +0.5% in November), as spending on durable goods (-1.2%) and textile-clothing (-2.1%) contracted notably, while other engineered goods were flat. Food consumption also continued to fall (-0.9% vs -0.1%), reflecting lower purchases of seasonal food items, particularly festive products, although tobacco consumption increased. By contrast, energy consumption rebounded (+0.8% vs -2.0%), supported by higher petrol and diesel use amid low fuel prices, even as gas and electricity demand declined due to unusually mild temperatures. On an annual basis, household consumption fell 1.0%, while it rose 0.4% on a quarterly basis compared with the previous period.

Household consumption in France unexpectedly fell 0.3% month-on-month in November 2025, defying market expectations of a 0.2% rise and reversing an upwardly revised 0.5% growth in October. It marked the first decline in household spending since July, mainly weighed down by lower energy spending (-2.0% vs 1.5% in October), driven by downturns in both gas and electricity consumption, as well as purchases of petroleum products. Spending on food products also dropped (-0.2% vs 0.3%), as rises in agricultural product consumption were offset by a sharp decline in agri-food product consumption. By contrast, spending on manufactured goods accelerated (0.4% vs 0.1%), driven by higher spending on durable goods and a rebound in spending on textiles and clothing. On an annual basis, household consumption was unchanged.

Household consumption in France increased 0.4% month-on-month in October 2025, surpassing market expectations of a 0.2% rise and accelerating from 0.3% growth in September. It marked the strongest growth in household spending since June, mainly supported by faster rises in energy spending (1.4% vs 0.6% in September), driven by a sharp rise in gas and electricity consumption as October was the coldest in the past three years. Spending on food products also increased faster (0.4% vs 0.1%), supported by higher consumption of agricultural and agri-food products. Meanwhile, spending on manufactured goods was broadly stable after a 0.4% increase in September, with textiles and clothing falling slightly, other manufactured goods rising modestly, and durable goods stagnating. On an annual basis, household consumption climbed 0.4% in October 2025.