Household consumption in the Netherlands increased by 1.2% year-on-year in July 2026, the weakest pace in three months and down from 1.7% in June. The deceleration was mainly driven by slower growth in spending on goods, with purchases of consumer goods rising 2.2%, compared with 3.2% in June.
Within this category, durable goods continued to show the strongest growth but also lost momentum, increasing by 3.1% versus 5.5% in the previous month, as households spent more on cars, clothing, electrical appliances, shoes, and household items. Spending on food, beverages, and tobacco also expanded at a slower rate of 2.0% (down from 2.8%), while consumption of other goods eased to 0.4% from 1.0%.
Expenditure on household consumption services likewise weakened, rising 0.5% year-on-year compared with 0.8% in June, despite higher outlays on transport and communication, medical services, recreation and culture, and housing. Services spending accounts for well over half of total domestic household consumption expenditure.
