Household spending in Japan dropped 1.8% yoy in February 2026, worsening from a 1.0% drop in the prior month and missing market estimates of a 0.7% decline. This marked the third straight contraction in personal consumption, highlighting persistent pressure from elevated prices. Spending fell further in transportation and communication (-5.9% vs -1.0% in January), education (-28.2% vs -22.6%), and other expenditures (-10.5% vs -5.9%). Food outlays slipped 0.5%, reversing a 1.5% gain, while growth in furniture and household items eased sharply (1.9% vs 13.5%). In contrast, housing rebounded strongly (12.1% vs -12.3%), alongside modest recoveries in clothing (2.3% vs -1.7%), while healthcare spending accelerated (7.7% vs 3.1%). Outlays on culture and recreation remained robust (10.8% vs 10.8%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, spending rose 1.5%, rebounding from a 2.5% fall in January and marking the first increase in three months, though still below forecasts of a 2.6% gain. source: Ministry of Internal Affairs & Communications

Household Spending in Japan decreased 1.70 percent in February of 2026 over the previous month. Household Spending in Japan averaged -0.72 percent from 2001 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 13.00 percent in April of 2021 and a record low of -16.20 percent in May of 2020. This page provides the latest reported value for - Japan Household Spending - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Japan Household Spending YoY - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on April of 2026.

Household Spending in Japan decreased 1.70 percent in February of 2026 over the previous month. Household Spending in Japan is expected to be 2.00 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Japan Household Spending YoY is projected to trend around 1.60 percent in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-03-09 11:30 PM
Household Spending YoY
Jan -1% -2.6% 2.5% -2.2%
2026-04-06 11:30 PM
Household Spending YoY
Feb -1.8% -1% -0.7% -0.4%
2026-05-08 11:30 PM
Household Spending YoY
Mar -1.8% 1.3%


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Bank Lending Rate 2.90 2.75 percent Feb 2026
Consumer Confidence 40.00 37.90 points Feb 2026
Consumer Credit 58802.70 57221.70 JPY Billion Dec 2025
GDP Private Consumption 309442.20 309116.20 JPY Billion Dec 2025
Disposable Personal Income 432.71 1010.41 JPY Thousand Jan 2026
Gasoline Prices 1.11 1.01 USD/Liter Mar 2026
Household Spending YoY -1.80 -1.00 percent Feb 2026
Household Spending MoM 1.50 -2.50 percent Feb 2026
Households Debt to GDP 61.10 61.30 percent of GDP Sep 2025
Personal Savings 0.40 0.40 percent Sep 2025
Retail Sales MoM -2.00 4.10 percent Feb 2026
Retail Sales YoY -0.20 1.80 percent Feb 2026


Japan Household Spending YoY
In Japan, Household Spending YoY refers to the annual change of consumption expenditures (on food, housing, utilities, furniture, clothing, health, education, transport, communication, leisure activities, etc.) in real terms for two-or-more-person households including agricultural, forestry and fisheries households.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-1.80 -1.00 13.00 -16.20 2001 - 2026 percent Monthly
NSA

News Stream
Japan Personal Spending Falls More than Expected
Household spending in Japan dropped 1.8% yoy in February 2026, worsening from a 1.0% drop in the prior month and missing market estimates of a 0.7% decline. This marked the third straight contraction in personal consumption, highlighting persistent pressure from elevated prices. Spending fell further in transportation and communication (-5.9% vs -1.0% in January), education (-28.2% vs -22.6%), and other expenditures (-10.5% vs -5.9%). Food outlays slipped 0.5%, reversing a 1.5% gain, while growth in furniture and household items eased sharply (1.9% vs 13.5%). In contrast, housing rebounded strongly (12.1% vs -12.3%), alongside modest recoveries in clothing (2.3% vs -1.7%), while healthcare spending accelerated (7.7% vs 3.1%). Outlays on culture and recreation remained robust (10.8% vs 10.8%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, spending rose 1.5%, rebounding from a 2.5% fall in January and marking the first increase in three months, though still below forecasts of a 2.6% gain.
2026-04-06
Japan Personal Spending Falls at Softer Pace
Household spending in Japan fell 1% year-on-year in January 2026, easing from a 2.6% decline in the previous month but contrary to market expectations of a 2.5% increase. Spending rebounded for food (1.5% vs -2.4% in December) and miscellaneous items (2.3% vs -5.3%), and it accelerated for furniture and household utensils (13.5% vs 2.3%) and culture and recreation (10.8% vs 3.6%). Moreover, spending decreased at a slower pace for clothing and footwear (-1.7% vs -8.9%), transportation and communication (-1.0% vs -7.1%), and other consumption expenditures (-5.9% vs -9.5%). In contrast, spending continued to fall for housing (-12.3% vs -7.6%), slipped for education (-22.6% vs 14.1%), and growth slowed for medical care (3.1% vs 5.3%). On a seasonally adjusted monthly basis, personal spending dropped 2.5%, following a downwardly revised 2.9% decline in December, defying market expectations of a 0.8% gain.
2026-03-10
Japan Personal Spending Unexpectedly Falls
Household spending in Japan declined 2.6% yoy in December 2025, missing market expectations for a flat reading and marking a deeper contraction after a 2.9% drop in the previous month. The latest result indicated that consumer demand remained fragile at the end of the year amid elevated living costs. The sustained weakness in personal consumption underscores ongoing challenges for Japan’s economic recovery and adds to concerns that private demand may struggle to gain momentum despite supportive monetary conditions. Monthly, personal spending fell 2.9%, underperforming forecasts of 1.3% decrease and swinging from a 6.2% jump in November, which had marked the strongest monthly rise since March 2021.
2026-02-05