Luxembourg tops European fashion spending at €1 777 per person while Romania lags at €375

Luxembourg tops European fashion spending at €1 777 per person while Romania lags at €375

(IN BRIEF) NIQ-GfK’s pan-European analysis finds that average per-capita spending on clothing and shoes in 25 countries is €772, with Luxembourg (€1 777), Switzerland (€1 096) and Norway (€1 034) at the top and Romania (€375) at the bottom; fashion accounts for 11.1 percent of retail budgets on average, led by Spain’s 14.8 percent share, and the study highlights wide regional gaps such as Bucharest vs. Giurgiu in Romania and Milan vs. Rome in Italy.

(PRESS RELEASE) BRUCHSAL, 19-Jun-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — NIQ-GfK has unveiled its latest study on clothing and footwear purchasing power across 25 European nations, revealing stark contrasts in consumer spending potential. On average, Europeans allocate €772 per capita to fashion, but Luxembourgers lead by a wide margin at €1 777—over 130 percent above the continental mean—while Romanians sit at the opposite end with just €375. Switzerland (€1 096) and Norway (€1 034) follow Luxembourg in the top three, whereas Sweden (€757) is closest to the overall average. Across all markets, total fashion purchasing power amounts to roughly €400.2 billion.

Filip Vojtech of NIQ-GfK’s Geomarketing team highlights that although Luxembourgers spend the most in absolute terms, they rank third when fashion’s share of total retail spend is considered (14.3 percent). Spain tops that list at 14.8 percent, with the UK next at 14.4 percent, while Finland devotes the smallest slice (5.0 percent). On average, 11.1 percent of retail purchasing power in the surveyed countries flows into clothing and shoes.

The data also expose pronounced regional disparities within countries. In Romania, for instance, residents of Bucharest boast nearly three times the fashion budget of those in Giurgiu County. Similar capital-region premiums appear in France, Portugal, the UK and Scandinavian nations. In Italy, Milan outstrips even Rome by over 30 percent, while Spain’s Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia surpass Madrid. Germany bucked the trend in its capital—Berliners fall below the national average—yet Munich and Hamburg emerge as domestic fashion-spending hotspots.

About the study
GfK Purchasing Power for Retail Product Lines is calculated on the basis of various surveys and analyses of consumers’ shopping behavior. This consumer information is then transferred to the regional level using geostatistical modeling. This methodology very effectively reveals regional variations in the demand potential for the following retail product lines: (1) food and related items (food, alcohol-free beverages, alcoholic beverages, tobacco products), (2) health and hygiene products, (3) clothing, (4) shoes, leather goods, (5) furnishings, (6) household products, glass, porcelain, (7) electrical household appliances, (8-11) consumer electronics, information technology and photography, (12) watches, jewelry, (13) books, stationery, (14-15) sporting goods, hobbies and recreation, (16) home improvement items.

The data is available for all administrative and postal territorial units – from federal states to districts and municipalities to 5-digit postcode areas. Besides purchasing power for retail product lines, data on general purchasing power, retail purchasing power, population by age group as well as inhabitants and households are also available for 25 European countries, Australia, New Zealand and selected core markets in America and Asia.

Purchasing power is shown as a nominal, i.e. not inflation-adjusted, forecast value. It relates to the place of residence. The data represent average values for all inhabitants of a region.

Additional information
on NIQ-GfK’s market data can be found at geodata.gfk.com.

About NIQ

NielsenIQ (NIQ) is a leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. NIQ combined with GfK in 2023, bringing together two industry leaders with unparalleled global reach. Our global reach spans over 90 countries covering approximately 85% of the world’s population and more than $7.2 trillion in global consumer spend. With a holistic retail read and the most comprehensive consumer insights—delivered with advanced analytics through state-of-the-art platforms—NIQ delivers the Full View™. For more information, please visit www.niq.com.

Media Contact:

Thomas Muranyi
Tel: +49 911 395 4928
thomas.muranyi@nielseniq.com

Source: Nielsen