DS Microdata > HBS EN REVAMP

Description of the data collection

Scope of the survey

Household budget surveys (HBSs) are national surveys focusing mainly on household expenditure on goods and services. Their main aim (especially at national level) is to calculate weights for the consumer price index.

Available countries and time series

They are conducted in all EU countries. They were launched in most EU Member States at the beginning of the 1960s, and Eurostat has been collecting and publishing these data every 5 years since 1988. The most recent 2 collection rounds took place in 2015 and 2020.

Data collection

Since the survey is conducted based on a gentleman’s agreement, each EU country decides the objectives, methodology, and frequency of the survey. Although there have been continuous efforts to make the data comparable across countries and over time, differences remain. The surveys vary between countries in terms of frequency, timing, content or structure.

Available microdata

The microdata are available for reference years 2010, 2015 and 2020. 

HBS scientific-use files are comprised mainly of 2 groups of data:

  • household: variables concerning the household as a whole
  • household members: variables concerning household members

Please consult our glossary for an explanation on the country codes used below.

Reference year 2010

The HBS scientific use files are available for 26 countries:

BE, BG, CZ, DK, DE, EE, FR, IE, IT, EL, ES, HR, HU, CY, LV, LT, LU, MT, PL, PT, RO, SI, SK, SE, FI, UK.

Reference year 2015

The HBS scientific use files are available for 26 countries:

BE, BG, CZ, DK, DE, EE, FR, IE, IT, EL, ES, HR, HU, CY, LV, LT, LU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SE, SI, FI.

Reference year: 2020

The HBS scientific use files are available for 27 countries:

AT, BE, BG, CZ, DK, DE, EE, FR, IE, IT, EL, ES, FI, HR, HU, CY, LV, LT, LU, MT, NL, NO, PL, PT, RO, SK, SI.