What German Households Spent on Leisure in 2024

Private households in Germany spent an average of €309 a month on leisure, sport and culture in 2024, according to the Federal Statistical Office. That was equivalent to 9.5 percent of average monthly consumer spending of €3,257.

The category is broad: it includes package holidays, sports equipment, books, magazines, event tickets and even pets. The 2024 share was up from 8.6 percent, or €245, in 2022, and the category remained the fourth-largest item in household budgets.

The largest spending blocks were housing, energy and maintenance at 36.3 percent, food at 14.0 percent and mobility at 13.8 percent. But leisure spending varied sharply with income: households earning less than €1,300 a month spent €76, or 5.7 percent, while those earning more than €5,000 spent €545, or 10.7 percent.

Household type also made a difference. Single-person households spent the smallest share at 8.3 percent, and couples without children the largest at 10.1 percent. Single parents and couples with children were in between at 9.9 and 9.8 percent. The data come from a voluntary survey in which about 12,000 households document income and spending for one month; self-employed households are not included.

Why the Leisure Budget Share Kept Rising

The Leisure Share Climbed Despite Cost Pressures

The rise from 8.6 percent in 2022 to 9.5 percent in 2024 occurred while many households were reporting a gloomy mood, high rents and expensive fuel. The release does not identify a single cause, but the numbers suggest that leisure spending stayed a priority even as housing and transport costs remained large. The comparison with 2022 may also reflect the continued normalisation of travel and events after the pandemic, but that interpretation is not stated in the survey data.

Income and Household Type Drive the Differences

The spending gap is visible both in euros and as a share of consumption. Households under €1,300 in monthly income spent less than 6 percent of their budget on leisure, while those over €5,000 spent close to 11 percent. That pattern is consistent with leisure being a discretionary category: lower-income households have less room after paying for housing, food and mobility. Childless couples reported the highest share, possibly because their fixed costs and lifestyle differ from those of singles or families with children, but the survey does not explain those differences.