In 2018, households in Cyprus spent 14.7% of their total consumption expenditure on transport — the fourth highest share in the EU28 where the average stood at 13.2%.
However Cyprus also recorded the third biggest decrease in the share of household income going to transport over the 10 year period of 2008 to 2018, according to figures published by Eurostat on Wednesday.
These show that across the EU, total expenditure by households on transport was over €1.1 trillion, equivalent to 7.2% of the EU’s GDP or €2220 per EU inhabitant.
Transport is the EU’s second largest household expenditure item after housing (24.0% of total consumption expenditure). Food and non-alcoholic beverages follow in third place (12.1%), it added.
Slovenia spends highest share of household expenditure on transport, Slovakia spends least
In the EU in 2018, the share of household expenditure devoted to transport was largest in Slovenia (16.9%), ahead of Lithuania and Luxembourg (both 15.8%). They were followed by Cyprus (14.7%), France (14.1%), Germany (13.8%), Hungary and the United Kingdom (both 13.7%).
At the opposite end of the scale, Slovakia (6.6%) spent the lowest share of household expenditure on transport, followed by Croatia (9.7%), Czechia (10.4%), Romania (11.2%), Belgium (11.4%), Estonia and Malta (both 11.6%), Latvia (11.8%) and Finland (11.9%).
Romania recorded highest decrease in transport expenditure
Between 2008 and 2018, the share of transport expenditure in total household expenditure decreased or remained stable in most Member States.
The largest decrease over this 10-year period was recorded in Romania (from 15.1% in 2008 to 11.2% in 2018, or a decrease of 3.9 percentage points (pp)), ahead of Bulgaria and Cyprus (both -2.5 pp), and Luxembourg (-2.0 pp).
Over the same period, the share of household spending on transport expenditure increased in nine EU Member States: Poland (from 11.7% in 2008 to 12.9% in 2018, or an increase of 1.2 pp), Slovenia (+1.0 pp), Germany, Czechia and Spain (all +0.6 pp), Ireland (+0.3 pp), Latvia and France (both +0.2 pp) as well as Slovakia (+0.1 pp).
The source dataset is accessible here.
