Household spending remains strong in November

Household spending rose 1.0 per cent in November, according to seasonally adjusted figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

This follows rises of 1.4 per cent in October and 0.4 percent in September. Household spending is now 6.3 per cent higher than the same time last year.

Tom Lay, ABS head of business statistics, said: ‘Household spending remained strong in November, continuing the strong rises in services and goods spending seen in October.

‘Services spending rose by 1.2 per cent, driven by major events, including concerts and sporting fixtures. These events are linked to higher spending on catering, transport, and recreation and cultural activities.

‘Growth in goods spending, which lifted 0.9 per cent, was driven by Black Friday sales. Clothing, footwear, furnishings, and electronics seeing the biggest gains as consumers took advantage of widespread discounts.’

‘Growth in household spending was broad, with eight of the nine spending categories rising in November,’ Mr Lay said.

The biggest rise was in Furnishings and household equipment, up 2.2 per cent. This was followed by Clothing and footwear, which rose 2.0 per cent, and Recreation and culture up 1.7 per cent.

In annual terms, Miscellaneous goods and services (+10.6 per cent) and Recreation and culture (+8.6 per cent) had the largest growth rates in the 12 months to November.

Services spending was 7.8 per cent higher than November 2024, while Goods spending was up 4.9 per cent compared to a year ago.

Household spending grew in all eight states and territories, led by Tasmania (+2.1 per cent) and Western Australia (+1.7 per cent).