Households in the European Union allocated 8.5% of their total expenditure to entertainment and culture in 2017, six tenths less than the 9.1% allocated ten years earlier, in 2007, according to data provided by Eurostat, the European statistical office.
In absolute figures, the percentage is equivalent to 712,431 million euros, which represents 4.6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The average expenditure per inhabitant was 1,400 euros throughout 2017.
The European countries where households allocated a larger share of their expenditure to culture and entertainment were the Nordic countries: Denmark (11.5%), Sweden and Iceland (11%) and Finland (10.5%).
In contrast, those that allocated a smaller percentage were Greece (4.6%), Romania (5.8%), Ireland and Luxembourg (both with 5.9%).
Spain, with 7.4%, was 1.1 points below the EU average expenditure on culture and entertainment.
In most EU countries, the percentage of household spending on culture and entertainment fell during the last decade. The country with the largest decline was Finland, which went from 12.3% in 2007 to 10.5% in 2017, a decrease of 1.8 points. In contrast, in Slovakia it increased by 1.4 points, going from 9% to 10.4%. In the case of Spain, the decrease was six tenths: from 8% in 2007 to the aforementioned 7.4% in 2017.
In absolute figures, the highest average expenditure per inhabitant on culture and entertainment in 2017 occurred in Iceland, with 3,700 euros. The lowest was in Romania (300 euros). In Spain the figure was 1,100 euros. The complete data can be seen in the following graph and map: