Christmas shopping and spending statistics UK | 2022

From watching the lights turn on in your local town centre to tucking into a roast dinner, there’s nothing quite like a white Christmas in the UK. However, the cost of living crisis is causing Brits to tighten their spending on Christmas shopping this year. We looked into how much Brits are spending on gifts over this holiday season compared to previous years.

Average Christmas spend per person in the UK

According to our research, the average British adult will spend £430 on Christmas gifts in 2022, a decrease of £119 (22%) from 2021’s budget amid the cost of living crisis. This is also a decrease of £47 (10%) from 2020’s budget and £84 (16%) less than Christmas spend in 2019.

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How many Brits are spending this Christmas

In 2022, 89% of Brits plan to buy Christmas gifts – which totals 46.6 million British adults. This is the same number as 2021, but it is an 8% decrease from 2020 when 97% of the UK population planned to spend on festive gifts.

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Overall Christmas spend in 2022

Overall, people in the UK are planning to spend £20.1 billion this year on Christmas gifts – this is 21% (£5.5 billion) less than 2021’s figure of £25.5 billion. This is the lowest projected spend since the surveys started in 2019, where overall spending hit £26.9 billion – 33% more than in 2022. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, UK spending on Christmas gifts in 2020 was projected to be 21% higher at £24.3 billion.

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Christmas spend by generation

91% of millennials plan to spend on gifts this Christmas, followed by 90% of baby boomers and 89% of generation X. The generations that are least likely to spend this year are generation Z and the silent generation, with 86% and 81% respectively planning on buying Christmas gifts.

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Christmas budgets by generation

In 2022, generation X will spend the most, with a planned budget of £520 per person; however, this is a 10% decrease from 2021 and 2020. This is followed by generation Z, which plan to spend £519 per person this year, a 10% increase from 2021 and a 150% increase from 2020. Millennials plan to spend £445 this Christmas, 28% less than in 2021.

While the silent generation were the highest spenders in 2021, they have dropped to the second-lowest spending generation in 2022, with a planned Christmas spend of £423. This is 40% less than in 2021.

The generation planning to spend the least this Christmas are baby boomers, who plan to spend £334, which is 36% less than generation X (£520) plan to spend on gifts in 2022.

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Christmas spend by gender

9 out of 10 (90%) women are planning to spend on Christmas gifts in 2022. This is 1% less than in 2021 and 8% less than in 2020. In contrast, 89% of men are planning to spend this Christmas, which is 2% more than in 2021 but 7% less than in 2020. This means that for the third consecutive year, more women than men are planning to buy gifts this Christmas.

Regarding spending, men are planning to spend a third (33%) more than women, with a budget of £493; however, this is £143 less than in 2021 and £3 less than 2020’s spend.

Women plan to spend £370 on presents this year – £102 less than in 2021 and £88 less than 2020’s figure.

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Christmas spending by region

97% of those in Northern Ireland will be spending on gifts this Christmas, followed by Scotland (94%), West Midlands (92%), South East (91%) and Wales (91%). On the other end of the spectrum, just 83% of those in London will be buying gifts in 2022.

According to our 2022 research, adults in Scotland will be spending the most this Christmas, with a planned spend of £606 per person. However, this is a decrease of 13% from 2021’s budget, when Scots planned to spend £700. London follows with a planned Christmas spend of £534 this year, followed by East of England (£466), Wales (£448) and Northern Ireland (£434) as the highest spending regions.

Adults in the East Midlands have the lowest planned spend of £336 this Christmas, with the South West (£355), North West (£367), South East (£374) and the North East (£416) as the regions planning to keep spending below the national average of £430.

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• Previous research: Christmas shopping and spending statistics 2021

  How much are Brits planning to spend this Christmas?

  The percentage of people buying gifts is set to drop to 89%, an 8% decrease from last year’s 97%.

  According to our research, the average British adult will also fork out £548 on Christmas gifts in 2021, a £72 increase from 2020’s budget of £476 and just £35 more than Christmas spend in 2019. Overall, the UK is planning to spend £25.6 billion this year on Christmas gifting, up from last year’s figure of £24.2 billion and down from the £26.9 billion spent on Christmas gifts in 2019.

  • Chart
  • Planned spend
  • Percentage of Brits spending

  	Spend per person	Overall spend
  2021	£548	£25,596,488,981
  2020	£476	£24,200,000,000
  2019	£513	£26,900,000,000

  	2021	2020
  % of UK spending	89%	97%

  Are Brits reducing their Christmas budget?

  Over two-thirds of the UK (69%) plan to cut costs on gifts in 2021. This is up from the 49% who planned to spend less on Christmas gifts in 2020 and the 60% who planned to reduce spending in 2019.

  In response to being asked how they would cut costs this year, 26% said they would set a price limit on gifts with friends and family, down from the 39% who planned to do so in 2019. Meanwhile, 17% of respondents said they will take advantage of the 2021 Black Friday sales to purchase their gifts at a discounted price. 14% will re-use gift packaging and 10% plan to get crafty by hand-making gifts instead.

  • Chart
  • Table

  Ways to cut costs	% of responses
  I don't plan to cut costs this Christmas	31%
  Setting a price limit with family and friends	27%
  Reusing gift packaging e.g. wrapping paper, gift bags	14%
  Giving an inexpensive experience as a gift (e.g. massage, picnic)	9%
  Secret Santa instead of buying gifts for multiple people	9%
  Buy second-hand gifts	8%
  I will be re-gifting	8%
  Waiting for Boxing Day sales to buy gifts	8%
  Giving freebies as gifts	8%

  Christmas spend by gender

  91% of women are planning to spend on Christmas gifts in 2021. This is 7% less than the 98% who planned to spend in 2020. In contrast, only 87% of men will spend on gifts this Christmas, 9% less than the 96% who spent in 2020. This means that, for the second consecutive year, more women than men will be buying gifts this Christmas.

  Regarding spend, men will be spending 35% more than women, with a budget of £635. Women plan to fork out just £472 on presents this year – £14 more than 2020’s figure of £458.

  • Gender differences
  • Table

  	Men	Women
  Average spend 2021	£635	£472
  Average spend 2020	£495	£458

  Cutting costs by gender

  73% of women in the UK will cut costs this Christmas, compared to 65% of men. This is up from the 51% of women who planned to spend less in Christmas 2020 and the 46% of men who planned to do the same.

  Christmas spend by generation

  92% of millennials plan to spend on gifts this Christmas, followed by 89% of the silent generation and 86% of generation Z. 83% of baby boomers will purchase presents this year, while just 77% of generation X will buy gifts.

  • Chart
  • Table

  	% spending on gifts
  Generation Z	85.56%
  Millennials	91.95%
  Generation X	76.94%
  Baby boomers	82.89%
  Silent generation	88.76%

  Christmas budgets by generation

  In 2021, the silent generation will spend the most, with a planned budget of £660 per person. This is a stark difference to last year’s results, which revealed generation X as the age group planning to spend the most in 2020 (£576). In 2020, generation Z had the lowest budget for festive gifts, with a planned spend of £207 each. In 2021, the lowest spenders will be generation X, with a planned spend of £471. This is just £1 less than generation Z’s planned spend of £472.

  • Chart
  • Table

  Generation	Average spend (2021)	Average spend (2020)	Average spend (2019)
  Generation Z (born after 1996)	£472	£207	£212
  Millennials (born 1981–1996)	£615	£506	£539
  Generation X (born 1965–1980)	£576	£576	£636
  Boomers (born 1946–1964)	£471	£440	£453
  Silent (born 1928–1945)	£660	£475	£496

  Cutting costs by generation

  Our research found that 87% of millennials and 87% of generation Z will be cutting costs in 2021. This is followed by generation X (70%), baby boomers (50%) and finally the silent generation (41%).

  In 2020, 67% of generation Z planned to cut costs, followed by millennials (61%). Meanwhile, just under a quarter of those in the silent generation said they would spend less.

  • Chart
  • Table

  	Cutting costs	Not cutting costs
  Generation Z	87%	13%
  Millennials	87%	13%
  Generation X	70%	30%
  Baby boomers	50%	50%
  Silent generation	41%	59%

  Christmas spend by region

  98% of those in Northern Ireland will be spending on gifts this Christmas, followed by the East of England (94%), Scotland (91%) and both South East and South West (90%). On the other end of the spectrum, just 84% of those in the East Midlands will be buying gifts in 2021.

  According to our 2021 research, Londoners will be splashing the most cash this Christmas, with a planned spend of £1,176. Interestingly, this is a 98% increase from Londoners’ planned spend of £595 in 2020 – which means that the Christmas budget in London has almost doubled in the past year.

  Those in Scotland plan to spend £700 this year (26% more than 2020’s planned spend of £555), while those in West Midlands have the lowest planned spend of £302. This is also the biggest drop in budget. In 2020, those in West Midlands planned to spend 33% more (£452).

  • Map
  • Christmas spend by region
  • Percentage of regions who plan to spend

  	2021 spend	2020 spend	% change from 2020 to 2021
  Yorkshire and the Humber	£443	£464	-4%
  London	£1,176	£595	98%
  South West	£394	£439	-10%
  South East	£531	£435	22%
  Wales	£383	£611	-37%
  Scotland	£700	£555	26%
  West Midlands	£302	£452	-33%
  North West	£449	£406	11%
  North East	£593	£485	22%
  East of England	£381	£422	-10%
  Northern Ireland	£533	£519	3%
  East Midlands	£343	£397	-14%

  	% spending for Christmas
  Yorkshire and the Humber	88%
  London	89%
  South West	90%
  South East	90%
  Wales	85%
  Scotland	91%
  West Midlands	89%
  North West	85%
  North East	89%
  East of England	94%
  Northern Ireland	98%
  East Midlands	84%

  What are the most common lies that people tell around Christmas?

  People are most likely to be dishonest about the gifts they receive. 40% of Brits have said they liked a present when they didn’t, and 22% have been given something they already owned, but pretended otherwise.

  The next most common untruth was people spending more than they could afford on Christmas presents and paraphernalia, but keeping it a secret — 1 in 5 (19%) Brits have done this.

  Up next, some slightly less innocent lies: 15% of people have gifted something they already owned, claiming it was new, and 13% have lied about being busy over the holidays to avoid visiting or hosting people.

  All the lies

  Common lies	Percentage
  I received a present that I didn’t like but I told the person who gave it to me that I did like it	40%
  I received a present that I already owned, but I told the person who gave it to me that I didn’t already have it	22%
  I spent more than I could afford on presents and/or decorations, but I didn’t tell anyone	19%
  I have given a present that I already owned and claimed it was new	15%
  Pretended to be busy around Christmas so we/I didn’t have to visit or host friends or family	13%
  I told people that I enjoy Christmas, but I actually don’t enjoy the Christmas period	10%
  I claimed that a present I gave to a family member or friend cost more than it actually did	7%
  I claimed that food I served was homemade, when it was actually purchased from a store	4%
  I claimed that a gift I gave was homemade, when it was actually purchased from a store	4%

  Reemul Balla, shopping expert at finder.com, comments on this research:

  While there’s an increase in overall spending, fewer people across the country are actually planning to buy gifts this year. Considering energy and fuel prices are on the rise, this suggests many Brits are planning to tighten their purse strings to avoid a hard pinch. So while we’re all looking forward to the festive period, here are some simple tips to make the most of your Christmas without breaking the bank:

  Agree to a price limit on gifts with family and friends.

  This was the most popular Christmas money-saving hack over the past 2 years, according to our research. An easy idea that is likely to come as a relief to others when you suggest it.

  • Give an experience as a present

  A Christmas gift doesn’t need to be an item that you buy for someone. Why not think of something that would brighten someone’s day that doesn’t involve reaching deep into your wallet? It could be as simple as breakfast in bed, planning a nice walk or making something.

  • Christmas entertainment

  If you want to broaden your TV show horizons this Christmas, make use of 1-month free trials from the likes of Amazon Prime and Hayu. Put the date in your diary before the trial ends to review or cancel it so you don’t default into a subscription you may not want.

  For all media enquiries, please contact

  Matt Mckenna
  UK communications manager
  T: +44 20 3828 1338
  

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