UK household spending: alcohol and tobacco
UK household spending: alcohol and tobacco stood at £11,558m in Q2 2026, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS). It is one of the indicators in the Household spending and saving table (Value · Quarterly), with a complete series running from Q1 1985 to Q2 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Household spending and saving table
| Indicator | Q2-2026 | Q1-2026 | Q4-2025 | Q3-2025 | Q2-2025 | Q1-2025 | Q4-2024 | Q3-2024 | Q2-2024 | Q1-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Household final consumption expenditure | |||||||||||
| Alcoholic beverages and tobacco | 11,558 | 11,564 | 11,737 | 11,721 | 11,818 | 11,975 | 11,799 | 11,695 | 12,743 | 12,607 | |
| Clothing and footwear | 21,184 | 20,780 | 20,594 | 20,630 | 20,025 | 19,793 | 19,813 | 19,693 | 19,618 | 19,423 |
Understanding UK household spending: alcohol and tobacco
Outlays on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products quantify total household retail spending across the United Kingdom on spirituous liquors, wine, beer, and manufactured smoking goods acquired for home or private use. This category encompasses items purchased through off-licences, supermarkets, and specialist tobacconists, but excludes drinks bought in pubs, clubs, or hotels for immediate on-premise consumption. It stands apart from food expenditure by focusing exclusively on restricted-access vice goods subject to heavy excise duties and specific regulatory controls.
Interpreting this series requires recognising the heavy influence of duty and tax policy changes, which frequently cause sudden step-changes in retail prices independently of consumer demand volumes. Seasonal shopping surges during winter holidays create pronounced intra-year volatility that makes period-on-period comparisons misleading without seasonal adjustment. Analysts examining these figures should rely on year-on-year percentage changes to assess true shifts in consumption habits while accounting for parallel movements in retail price indices.
Frequently asked questions
- Where are drinks purchased in pubs recorded?
- Alcohol consumed on licensed premises is classified under restaurants and hotels, not in this retail category.
- How do government tax changes affect this series?
- Increases in excise duty or tobacco tax directly raise nominal expenditure figures regardless of whether physical sales volumes change.
- Why is seasonal adjustment important for this data?
- Gift-buying and social gatherings during the winter quarter create massive spending peaks that distort unadjusted quarterly comparisons.