Christmas season in Europe - Statistics & Facts

Whether celebrated on December 25 or 24, or whether it’s St Nicholas or Father Christmas who bring the presents, Christmas is celebrated across most of Europe. Whilst originally a Christian holiday, it is celebrated by non-Christians as well, for whom it is more of a cultural event, with each country following their own traditions. European countries enjoy many things in common, however, such as visiting Christmas markets, exchanging gifts, and sharing a meal. A further similarity is the boost to the retail sector in the so called ‘golden quarter’ over the Christmas period.

Christmas spending in Europe

In Europe, Christmas retail spending was the highest in the United Kingdom over the past years and is expected to reach almost 85 billion British pounds, surpassing other major European economies like Germany and France. This represented a slight increase on the previous year, despite many worries among consumers about their ability to afford Christmas as a result of the increasing costs of living experienced in 2023. According to a 2023 survey, at least two thirds of consumers in Italy, Germany, France, Spain, and the UK were planning to make cuts to their holiday season spending on non-food items.

November sales

As well as preparations for Christmas, there is also increased retail activity in November thanks to several sales events, most notably Black Friday, but also the increasingly popular Cyber Monday sale, as well as Singles' Day, which is just beginning to gain some traction in Europe. Over one quarter of consumers in the UK said that they would definitely shop during November sales events in 2023, with a further 37 percent saying they probably would. These percentages were even higher in Germany and Poland. Consumers in Europe were willing to spend a fair amount during the sales, in France, Italy, and Spain the average Black Friday budget ranged from 238 to 309 euros.

Gift shopping

These November sales events offer consumers a good opportunity to start buying their Christmas gifts. In Italy, November was the most common time to start holiday shopping, according to a survey in September 2023. Indeed most consumers in European countries planned to start shopping before December. Some gifts do not have to be purchased however, as in both Poland and the UK, money or vouchers were the most anticipated gifts for Christmas. Christmas presents can be one of the most expensive outgoings at Christmas, in Spain presents were forecast to cost almost 350 U.S. dollars, which was more than the Christmas dinner or decorations.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Tugba Sabanoglu, Dec 8, 2023

Key insights

Expected Christmas spending in France
62.83bn GBP
Store-based retail sales at Christmas in the UK
54.01bn GBP
Online revenue share of Christmas season sales in Germany
17.5%
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Online and store-based retail sales during Christmas season in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2017 to 2023 (in billion GBP)

Retail & Trade

Online and offline retail sales during Christmas in the UK 2017-2023

Average spending on Christmas gifts in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2019 to 2022, with a forecast for 2023, by category (in GBP)

Retail & Trade

Average Christmas gifts spend per head in the UK 2019-2023, by category

Per capita spending on Christmas gifts in Germany from 2011 to 2023

Public and religious holidays

Per capita spending on Christmas gifts in Germany 2011-2023

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