Where our Household Expenses Go: A Look at the Household Expenditure Survey

 

Why do we conduct the Household Expenditure Survey (HES)?

Many people are familiar with the Consumer Price Index (CPI), but have you heard of the HES? When the Census and Statistics Department compiles the CPI every month, it requires not only price data for various consumer goods and services, but also needs to know their shares in the household expenditure.

The HES is a territory-wide sample survey conducted once every 5 years to collect up-to-date expenditure information of households in Hong Kong on clothing, food, accommodation, transport, etc., to help update the items covered in the CPI and their expenditure shares.

 

Design of the HES

The design of the HES is quite unique. The survey lasts for a whole year and is divided into 26 bi-weekly survey cycles. Each sampled household only needs to take part in one specified cycle. This approach can cover the household expenditure patterns and habits in different seasons, while also reducing the reporting burden on households. Households participating in the survey are required to record their daily expenses in the form of expenditure diaries, as well as to fill in information on regular payments and infrequent expenditures in relevant questionnaires.

 

Which areas do households spend more on?

According to the results of the 2019/20 HES, households in Hong Kong had higher expenditures on housing and food, which accounted for 39% and 27% of the average total household expenditures, respectively. These were followed by expenditures on miscellaneous services (including school fees, medical service fees and fees of hiring foreign domestic helpers, etc.), which accounted for 14%.

Household expenditure shares from the 2019/20 HES

 

When will a new round of HES be conducted?

As household expenditure changes over time due to various factors, it is necessary for us to conduct the HES regularly to understand the latest spending patterns and habits. In particular, household expenditure patterns were severely affected by the epidemic during the 2019/20 survey period. A new round of the 2024/25 HES is now underway. Stay tuned for the survey results expected to be released in mid-2026, to see the changes in household expenditure information in Hong Kong.

For more information, please refer to the thematic webpage of the 2024/25 HES.

 

XIAO Jingyi, Zoe
Statistician
20 January 2025