Actual Individual Consumption - An International Comparison

Get the data: Eurostat

Figure 3 shows AIC and PCE at constant prices. The two series closely mirror each other and both show the different trend for the period 1995-2007 compared to the period 2008-2020. 

Get the data: PxStat N2014

Figure 4 shows the seasonally adjusted quarterly AIC and PCE at constant prices from 2015. The impact of COVID-19 related economic restrictions can clearly be seen, particularly in Q2 2020.

Get the data: PxStat NQQ49 (PCE), Eurostat (AIC)

Figure 5 shows AIC per capita in Euro (€) for 2020.

Get the data: Eurostat (AIC), Eurostat (population)

Actual Individual Consumption – Purchasing Power Standard

AIC is particularly useful for international comparisons of household welfare as it is not influenced by the extent to which services such as health and education are provided by market producers rather than non-market producers across countries.

Due to large price level differences across countries, a simple comparison of market expenditures is not appropriate. Purchasing Power Standard (PPS) is an artificial currency unit that adjusts for price level differences, allowing meaningful cross-country volume comparisons of consumption. Aggregates expressed in PPS are derived by taking the respective economic series measured at current prices in a national currency and dividing by the respective Purchasing Power Parity (PPP).

Figure 6 shows AIC per capita in PPS for 2020 and highlights that Ireland is below the EU27 average.

Get the data: Eurostat

Figure 7 shows AIC per capita in PPS over the period 1995-2020. By this metric Ireland’s per capita consumption peaked in 2007. The other countries represented are those which have overtaken Ireland since 2007 in a EU28 ranking by AIC per capita in PPS, see Figure 8.

Get the data: Eurostat

Figure 8 shows Ireland's rank over time among the 2019 EU28 countries for AIC per capita in PPS. Ireland's rank peaked at seven in 2006 and for the most recent year, 2020, Ireland's rank was 14.

Get the data: Eurostat

Figure 9 shows AIC per capita in PPS for 2020. Three categories are shown: countries greater than the EU27 average, countries between 75-100% of the EU27 average and countries less than 75% of the EU27 average.