Greek households spent 4.6 billion euros on clothing and footwear in 2025 as the category lost basket share
Greek spending on clothing and footwear reached 4.6 billion euros in 2025, up 2.5% year on year, according to ELSTAT Household Budget Survey data presented by SEPEE. Total household consumption grew faster, at 5.5%, pushing apparel down to 4.9% of the basket from 5% in 2024. Average annual spending per person rose by about 11 euros to 443 euros.
Greek households spent 4.6 billion euros on clothing and footwear in 2025, up 2.5% year on year, according to Household Budget Survey figures from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) presented by the Association of Knitwear and Ready-made Garment Enterprises of Greece (SEPEE) and reported by theopinion.gr.
The category is growing in absolute terms but losing ground inside the household budget. Total consumer spending rose faster than apparel over the same period, and clothing and footwear ended the year with a slightly smaller share of the basket than in 2024.
Per-person spending up by 11 euros
Average annual spending per person on clothing and footwear reached 443 euros in 2025, compared with 432 euros a year earlier, an increase of about 11 euros. Converted on a straight-line basis, that is roughly 37 euros per person per month. theopinion.gr cautions that the monthly figure is an arithmetic average rather than a purchasing pattern: apparel buying concentrates in sale periods and seasonal peaks, and varies widely between households.
Household spending as a whole moved up more quickly. Average monthly consumption expenditure per household reached 1,820 euros in 2025, up 5.5% from 1,725 euros in 2024. Adjusted for inflation of 2.6%, the real increase in constant prices comes to 2.9%.
Clothing slips to 4.9% of the basket
Clothing and footwear accounted for 4.9% of total household consumption expenditure in 2025, down from 5% in 2024. The category ranks sixth among spending groups:
- Food: 20.4% of total spending
- Housing: 14.7%
- Transport: 13.6%
- Recreation, travel and eating out: 11.8%
- Health: 7.6%
- Clothing and footwear: 4.9%
The 0.1 percentage point move is small, but the direction matters for anyone selling into the market: nominal growth of 2.5% sat just below the 2.6% inflation rate cited in the survey, which leaves little room for volume gains once the price effect is stripped out.
Price, value and a more selective buyer
theopinion.gr notes that the 11-euro increase does not by itself show that Greeks are buying more. It may reflect higher prices, a shift toward more expensive items, or replacement purchases of specific wardrobe pieces rather than broader consumption growth.
The purchasing environment has also changed. Discounts, promotions, online stores, second-hand platforms and fast fashion have given consumers the ability to compare prices and delay a purchase until the moment suits them. The publication describes a market in which the price-to-value relationship is the decisive question: how much a garment will be used, and whether it justifies its cost.
Where the market is decided
Online purchasing of clothing and footwear has become routine for a large part of the public, with the mobile phone acting as shop window, catalogue, checkout and price comparison tool at once. A product seen on social media can be searched across several e-shops, monitored for a discount and bought from home.
For retailers and their suppliers that shifts the competitive field away from the store window toward Instagram, TikTok, customer reviews, promotional calendars and the quality of the e-commerce experience. The demand pool remains substantial at 4.6 billion euros a year, but with food, housing and transport absorbing 48.7% of household spending between them, apparel is competing for a share of income that is not expanding.
