In the EU27, the household investment rate was 8.1% in the fourth quarter of 2012, compared with 8.0% in the third quarter of 2012. In the euro area, the household investment rate was 8.9%, stable compared with the previous quarter.
In the euro area, in nominal terms, household income fell by 0.5% in the fourth quarter of 2012, while consumption increased by 0.1% and investment (gross fixed capital formation, mostly in dwellings) fell by 0.2%.
In the euro area, in nominal terms, the decrease in household income (-0.5%) was due to the negative contributions of wages (-0.3 percentage points), taxes (-0.2 pp) and gross operating surplus and mixed income (-0.1 pp) while social benefits (+0.1 pp) contributed positively.
Household real income per capita down in the euro area
In the euro area, household income per capita fell by 1.1% in real terms in the fourth quarter of 2012, after a decrease of 0.4% in the previous quarter. This fall was the result of a drop in nominal income per capita (-0.6%) while prices increased (+0.5%). Household real consumption per capita decreased (-0.5%).
