Greek households are changing their shopping habits and food choices as housing costs and other household expenses put pressure on family budgets, according to a new analysis by the Research Institute of Retail Consumer Goods (IELKA) ahead of World Food Day on 16 October.
The analysis examines the latest data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority’s (ELSTAT) Household Budget Survey, tracking consumer spending and food purchases between 2008 and 2025.
Greek households spent an estimated €25.7 billion annually on grocery products across all retail channels, including €18.1 billion on food, €1 billion on non-alcoholic beverages and €1.6 billion on alcoholic drinks. Household spending also included approximately €1.7 billion on household care products and €2.3 billion on personal care products.
The estimate covers Greek household expenditure only and excludes spending by approximately 40 million foreign visitors to Greece. IELKA estimates that visitors contribute an additional €1.5 billion or more in spending on these categories.
Grocery spending rises more slowly than household incomes
Per capita annual household expenditure reached €9,216 in 2025, marking a 5.5% increase from 2024. Grocery spending rose by a smaller 3.9% to €2,433 per person.
Within the grocery category, spending on food increased by 4.1%, non-alcoholic beverages by 3.6% and alcoholic beverages by 8.1%. Household care spending rose by 8.7%, while personal care expenditure fell by 2.9%.
Grocery spending therefore grew more slowly than both total household expenditure and net earnings in the two household profiles examined by IELKA.
Net earnings increased by 7.3% for a single person without children earning the average wage and by 9.4% for a two-income couple with two children, with both adults earning the average wage.
Other essential expenses rose more sharply. Housing expenditure increased by 8.3%, rents surged by 14.4% and restaurant spending climbed by 6.1%.
Household spending recovers but remains below 2008 levels
The analysis reveals significant changes in household spending over the past 17 years.
Annual expenditure per person fell from €9,518 in 2008 to a low of €6,267 in 2020 before recovering to €9,216 in 2025. Despite the recovery, spending remains approximately 3% below its 2008 level in nominal terms.
Food and non-alcoholic beverage expenditure proved more resilient during the economic crisis and has increased in recent years. Housing and restaurant spending, meanwhile, have risen particularly sharply since 2020.
Compared with 2008, expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages stood approximately 20% higher in 2025. Electricity spending had more than doubled, while rents increased by 36%. Total fuel expenditure remained close to its 2008 level.
The share of household budgets allocated to food and non-alcoholic beverages rose from 16.4% in 2008 to a peak of 23.1% in 2020 during the pandemic. It subsequently declined to 20.4% in 2025, down from 20.7% in both 2023 and 2024.
Since 2012, food has generally accounted for around 20%–21% of household expenditure, apart from the pandemic period.
Housing now absorbs 14.7% of household spending, compared with 11.8% in 2008 and 14.1% in 2023. Restaurant expenditure has also recovered beyond pre-pandemic levels, reaching 10.7% of total household spending in 2025.
Greek households change their food shopping habits
The quantities households purchased in 2025 reveal substantial shifts in the composition of the Greek food basket compared with 2008 and 2015.
Bread and cereals
Bread and bakery purchases fell by 12.3% compared with 2008. However, purchases of cereals increased by 32.3% and pasta by 10.3%, indicating a shift between carbohydrate sources rather than a uniform decline.
Meat and seafood
Purchases of beef fell by 29.2% compared with 2008, processed meat products by 35.4%, fish by 14.6% and seafood by 37.2%.
Poultry moved in the opposite direction, rising by 31.9% to 16.9 kilograms per person annually.
Dairy products and eggs
Purchases of fresh whole milk declined by 42.5%, while preserved milk fell by 60%. Low-fat milk purchases increased by 38%, and yoghurt purchases rose by 31%. Plant-based milk products have also entered the food basket.
Egg purchases recorded a particularly strong increase of 66.6% compared with 2008.
Olive oil and other fats
Olive oil purchases fell by 34.8% compared with 2008 and by 40.2% compared with 2015.
IELKA cautions that researchers should consider this decline alongside long-term price changes and evolving consumer habits rather than attributing it to a single cause.
Fruit, vegetables and legumes
Fruit purchases fell by 8.9% compared with 2008, while vegetable purchases remained broadly stable, increasing by 1%.
Legume purchases rose by 23.5% and nuts by 11%, while potato purchases declined by 24.2%.
Sugar, sweets and prepared meals
Sugar purchases dropped by 53.5% compared with 2008. Meanwhile, purchases of honey and jam increased by 68.9%, chocolate by 9.3% and ice cream by 20.2%.
Prepared meals recorded one of the most striking changes, rising from just 0.24 kilograms per person in 2015 to 3.34 kilograms in 2025. The increase points to growing demand for convenient, time-saving food options.
Estimated calories in purchased food decline
IELKA also estimated the calorie content of the quantities households purchased across the categories examined.
Using indicative average calorie values for each product category, the institute calculated that purchases represented approximately 1,915 kilocalories per person per day in 2025, compared with 2,149 in 2015 and 2,210 in 2008.
The estimate represents a decline of 13.3% compared with 2008 and 10.9% compared with 2015.
However, IELKA stressed that these figures do not indicate an equivalent reduction in the population’s actual calorie intake.
The Household Budget Survey records food purchases and acquisitions rather than the amount each person actually consumes. It does not fully account for food waste, meals eaten outside the home or every other source of calories.
The institute therefore considers the estimate primarily an indicator of changes in the quantities and composition of food entering households, rather than a direct measurement of Greeks’ dietary intake.
The decline largely reflects reduced purchases in categories with substantial calorie contributions, including bread and bakery products, olive oil, sugar, cheese and certain types of meat. Purchases of poultry, yoghurt, eggs and prepared meals increased over the same period.
Greece records low obesity rate in EU comparison
The analysis also highlights Eurostat figures that put Greece’s adult obesity rate at 12.8% in 2025, below the European Union average of 16.3%.
According to the figures cited by IELKA, Greece recorded the EU’s second-lowest rate, after Italy at 7.0%, while Romania followed at 12.9%.
IELKA said these figures provide an additional perspective on changing food purchasing patterns. However, it cautioned against drawing a direct causal link between changes in purchased food quantities and obesity rates, as the indicators rely on different data sources and measure different things.
Economic pressures continue to shape household budgets
Overall, IELKA’s analysis shows that Greek households have substantially reshaped their spending and food purchasing patterns over the past 17 years.
The changes do not follow a single direction. Instead, households have shifted between product categories as they adapt to changing economic conditions, social trends and food preferences.
Despite significant price changes and mounting pressure from other household expenses, food continues to account for approximately one-fifth of total household expenditure, a proportion that has remained relatively stable since 2012, apart from the pandemic period.
The findings highlight how Greek households continue to balance food needs against rising housing costs and other essential expenses while gradually changing what they buy.
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