Money Worries Across Europe: What Are Consumers Most Afraid They Can’t Afford in 2025?
Cost of Living · Based on the data from the Consumer Conditions Scoreboard 2025
Even though inflation has slowed down, many Europeans still feel that their household budget is under pressure. When asked how worried they are about different parts of their finances over the next six months, consumers across the EU gave answers that show the cost-of-living crisis has not fully gone away. This InfoCons Consumer Protection guide breaks the numbers down, worry by worry, and shows what has improved since 2022 and what has stayed the same.
InfoCons Consumer Protection Explains: What These Numbers Show
The figures come from a large survey of consumers across the 27 EU Member States, plus Iceland and Norway. People were asked how concerned they were – “very” or “fairly” – about being able to afford different things in the months ahead. The answers are shown as the share of adults who said they were worried. They are then compared with the same survey from 2022, when prices were rising at their fastest. A lower number in 2024 means fewer people are worried than before.
Source: Consumer Conditions Survey. Based on the data from the Consumer Conditions Scoreboard 2025.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – The Full List: What Worries Europeans Most (2024)
Here are the six money worries, from the most common to the least common across the EU:
- Paying the bills – 38%
- Being able to afford a holiday – 38%
- Affording the food products you like – 35%
- Repaying loans and credit cards – 25%
- Affording transport to work – 24%
- Paying the mortgage – 19%
InfoCons Consumer Protection – Share of Europeans worried about their finances (2024). Based on the data from the Consumer Conditions Scoreboard 2025.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – Best vs Worst: Which Fears Are Fading and Which Are Stuck
The biggest improvement (the best news for consumers) is around the basics. Worry about paying the bills dropped sharply from 48% in 2022 to 38% in 2024 – a fall of 10 percentage points. Worry about affording favourite foods fell almost as much, from 44% to 35%. These are clear signs that the worst of the price shock has passed.
The most “stuck” worries (the least improvement) are linked to debt and fixed commitments. Concern about repaying loans and credit cards (25%), affording transport to work (24%) and paying the mortgage (19%) barely moved at all since 2022. For households carrying debt, the pressure has not eased.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – How money worries changed between 2022 and 2024. Based on the data from the Consumer Conditions Scoreboard 2025.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – Paying the Bills: The Number One Worry (38%)
Paying everyday bills remains the single biggest financial concern for European consumers, named by 38%. The good news is that this is well down from 48% in 2022. Still, almost four in ten households remain anxious about covering their regular costs – a reminder that lower inflation has not meant lower bills.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – Affording a Holiday: A Worry That Hasn’t Moved (38%)
Worry about affording a holiday stayed almost flat, at 38% in 2024 compared with 39% in 2022. Unlike bills and food, this concern did not ease as inflation slowed – a sign that many families are still cutting back on leisure spending to protect the essentials.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – Affording the Food You Like: A Clear Improvement (35%)
Around 35% of Europeans worry about being able to afford the food they like, down from 44% in 2022. This near nine-point drop is one of the largest improvements in the survey, reflecting the slowdown in food-price increases – even if grocery prices remain much higher than a few years ago.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – Repaying Loans and Credit Cards: Stubbornly Stuck (25%)
A quarter of consumers (25%) are worried about repaying loans and credit cards – exactly the same share as in 2022. As prices rose, more households turned to credit, and higher interest rates have made that debt more expensive to carry. This worry has simply not faded.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – Affording Transport to Work: Unchanged (24%)
Concern about affording transport to work held steady at 24%, the same as in 2022. For people who must commute, fuel and ticket costs remain a fixed and unavoidable pressure on the monthly budget.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – Paying the Mortgage: The Least Common but Heaviest Worry (19%)
Paying the mortgage is the least widespread worry, named by 19% – unchanged since 2022. It affects fewer people because not everyone has a mortgage, but for those who do, higher interest rates have made repayments a serious concern. A further quarter of consumers also reported worries about loans and credit-card debt more broadly.
InfoCons Consumer Protection – What This Means for You as a Consumer
The overall message is encouraging but cautious: the sharpest fears – bills and food – are easing, but debt-related worries are not. If you are feeling the squeeze, InfoCons Consumer Protection recommends building a simple monthly budget, comparing offers for energy, telecoms and insurance before renewing, being careful with credit and “buy now, pay later” schemes, and seeking free debt-advice services early if repayments become difficult. Knowing your rights and planning ahead are the best protection for your household budget.
Signature: InfoCons Consumer Protection Department