Easter in the UK: Spending statistics

Quick overview

• 3 in 4 Brits (74%) are projected to celebrate Easter in 2023.
• Brits will spend an estimated £960 million during the Easter period.
• In 2023, an estimated 6.3 million Brits will take a domestic holiday over the Easter weekend in the UK, down from 7.4 million people in 2022.
• An estimated 4.2 million trips abroad will be taken from the UK in April 2023, down from 5.6 million in April 2022.
• Around 80 million Easter eggs are sold in the UK each year.
• An estimated £457.6 million will be spent on Easter eggs in 2023.

How many people celebrate Easter in the UK?

We estimate that almost 3 in 4 Brits (74%) plan to celebrate Easter this year, a total of 39.4 million people. This is a similar picture to last year, when an estimated 75% of people planned to celebrate Easter.

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How much will people in the UK spend for Easter?

In 2023, Brits will spend an estimated £960 million over Easter, with an average spend per person of £28.61. This is up 7% from £26.85 per person in 2022, meaning that, after accounting for inflation and an overall decrease in sales volume from last year, people are spending around 3% less this year. The highest total expenditure for Easter was £1.1 billion in 2019.

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How many people are planning Easter holidays this year?

In 2023, an estimated 6.3 million Brits will take a domestic holiday over the Easter weekend in the UK, down from 7.4 million people in 2022. This is based on our research into the cost of living crisis, which shows that nearly 1 in 6 (15%) Brits will sacrifice domestic holidays to cope with rising expenses.

Our survey also found that 1 in 4 (25%) of people were planning to respond to the cost of living crisis by sacrificing their foreign holidays. We estimate there will be 4.2 million trips abroad from the UK in April 2023, down from 5.6 million in April 2022.

How many Easter eggs are sold in the UK each year?

Over 80 million Easter eggs are sold in the UK each year. The average price of an Easter egg in 2022 was estimated to be £5.18, and this is projected to increase to £5.72 in 2023 with inflation. Therefore, the UK will spend at least £457.6 million on Easter eggs in 2023!

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How much do we spend on Easter eggs vs chocolate bars?

Our 2019 survey found that £381 million would be spent on Easter eggs that year. This was £154 million more than if consumers had bought the same amount of chocolate in bar form (£227 million).

Each consumer could have saved £4.28 by purchasing chocolate bars in 2019, making Easter eggs 68% more expensive overall than chocolate bars (although it’s not as fun to tuck into a plain chocolate bar during Easter!).

What is the price difference between an Easter egg and a chocolate bar?

We went further down the rabbit hole to discover which chocolate brands have the largest differences between the cost of their Easter eggs and chocolate bars in 2023.

Of all the brands analysed, the worst offender was Lindt. Its Lindor Easter eggs cost £3.02 per 100g, which is over £1 more expensive than the cost of a Lindor bar per 100g (£2.00).

The best deal on the market is the Mars Easter egg, coming in at only £0.14 more per 100g than for Mars bars.

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• Easter 2022 spending statistics

  This year, Easter falls between 15 April and 18 April, but the Easter eggs have been piling up at local supermarkets for weeks now. We have collated our previous annual surveys to project how many Brits plan to spend over the 4-day weekend. If you’re still looking for Easter treats, look at our gift guide for great ideas on chocolate eggs and gifts for this Easter.

  Quick overview

  • Three-quarters of Brits (75%) are projected to celebrate Easter in 2022. At 39.4 million people, this is an increase of almost 3 million more people celebrating compared to 2018 (36.6 million).
  • Overall, Easter spending is projected to reach £892 million in the UK, £82 million (10%) more than in 2021.
  • Over 63% of Brits are projected to spend in Easter 2022. This is a slight increase from 2021 (62%).
  • A projected 12% of Brits will celebrate Easter without spending in 2022.
  • Over £415 million is projected to be spent on Easter eggs, with over 80 million Easter eggs sold in the UK each year.

  Easter spending trends

  

  How many people in the UK will celebrate Easter?

  Just under three-quarters (74%) of the United Kingdom planned to celebrate Easter in 2021, up 1% in 2020, but down 5% from 2019.

  Based on projections from previous research, we estimate that 2022 will see just over 75% of Brits planning to celebrate Easter this year.

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  • Table

  Year	Population celebrating Easter	Projected population celebrating Easter
  2018	70%
  2019*	78.00%
  2020	73.00%
  2021	74%
  2022*		75.26%

  How much will people in the UK spend for Easter?

  Easter spending is projected to reach £892 million in 2022. This is 10% (£82 million) more than in 2021 and almost £200 million less than in 2019.

  These projections are based on the number of people planning to celebrate Easter increasing and with the average spend per person in 2022 (£26.85) increasing by £1.99 from 2021, adjusted to inflation, as of March 2022 at 6.2%.

  • Graph
  • Table

  Year	Spend by year	Projected spend
  2018	£892,600,000.00
  2019	£1,089,811,383.83
  £2,020	£902,299,118.16
  2021	£810,106,346.70
  2022*		£840,163,336.13

  Easter spending across the UK

  

  Residents in London planned to spend the most, with the average spent being £35. Residents in Northern Ireland were most likely to spend over Easter, with 86% of the population planning to spend. At the other end of the spectrum, Scotland’s residents planned to spend the least, at £16 on average. They’re also the least likely to spend (46%).

  • Average regional spend
  • Table

  Region	Individual spend	Percentage of population spending
  Yorkshire and the Humber	£22.18	55.42%
  London	£35.22	74.14%
  South West	£24.33	61.63%
  South East	£23.82	64.47%
  Wales	£22.14	53.13%
  Scotland	£16.44	45.83%
  West Midlands	£22.66	64.41%
  North West	£23.52	60.27%
  North East	£28.30	65.43%
  East of England	£23.36	62.57%
  Northern Ireland	£35.00	86.21%
  East Midlands	£19.82	57.93%

  Generational differences in Easter spending

  Millennials planned to spend the most, with the average being £31, while baby boomers planned to spend the least, at £20 on average. Millennials were the most likely to spend, with 81% of this age group saying they would part with their money over Easter. Baby boomers were also the least likely to spend over Easter, with only 68% of this generation intending to do so.

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  • Table

  	Generation Z	Millennials	Generation X	Baby Boomers	Silent generation
  Individual spend	£29.98	£30.52	£20.98	£20.17	£20.41
  Percentage of population spending	77.78%	80.74%	72.53%	67.82%	67.90%

  How much do people in the UK spend on Easter eggs?

  Our research has projected that spending on Easter eggs will reach £415 million in 2022, with the average price of an Easter egg being £5.18. We found in 2019 that over £381 million was spent on Easter eggs, but this cost £154 million more than if the same chocolate amount was bought in bar form (£227 million). Find out more about the differences between Easter eggs and chocolate bars.

  Sources

  • A total of 2,000 people were questioned throughout Great Britain, with representative quotas for gender, age and region, in 2019.
  • Projected statistics are based on previous survey data conducted annually by Finder UK.
  • Projections were calculated and adjusted to the inflation rate at the time of writing, which was 6.2% as of March 2022.

• Easter 2021 spending statistics

  This year, Easter falls between 2 April and 5 April, but the Easter eggs have been piling up at local supermarkets for weeks now. Here at Finder, we conducted our annual survey to find out how much Brits expect to spend over the 4-day weekend and whether spending trends have changed with the increased need to save during lockdown. If you’re still looking for Easter treats, look at our gift guide for great ideas on chocolate eggs and gifts for this Easter.

  Quick overview

  • Three-quarters of Brits (74%) plan to celebrate Easter. This is a decrease of 2.2 million people from 2019.
  • The average Brit will spend £25 on Easter this year, a 10% (£3) decrease on 2020’s figure and an 18% (£5) decrease on 2019’s figure.
  • 62% of Brits plan to spend money this Easter weekend, down from 69% in 2019, before COVID-19 lockdown restrictions were imposed.
  • 12% of Brits will celebrate without spending; this is up from 11% in 2020 and 9% in 2019.
  • This means that in 2021, Brits are set to spend £810 million over Easter, a 10% (£92 million) decrease from 2020 and a 26% (£280 million) decrease on 2019.

  Easter spending trends

  

  Our research suggests that the lockdown has forced many families to cut back over the Easter weekend. Brits plan to spend, on average, 18% less this year than they did in 2019. 1 in 10 Brits (12%) plan on celebrating without spending at all.

  • Average spend
  • Table

  	2021	2020	2019
  Average spend per person	£24.86	£27.66	£30.14
  Percentage of population spending	62.19%	62.25%	69.00%
  Number of people spending	32,592,005	32,621,082	36,158,307
  Total spend	£960,823,807	£1,058,117,841	£1,231,960,695

  Easter spending across the UK

  

  Residents in London plan to spend the most, with the average spend being £35. Residents in Northern Ireland are most likely to spend over Easter, with 86% of the population planning to spend. At the other end of the spectrum, Scotland’s residents plan to spend the least, at £16 on average. They’re also the least likely to spend (46%).

  • Average regional spend
  • Table

  	East of England	Greater London	East Midlands	West Midlands	North East	North West	Northern Ireland	Scotland	South East	South West	Wales	Yorkshire and the Humber
  Individual spend	£23.36	£35.22	£19.82	£22.66	£28.30	£23.52	£35.00	£16.44	£23.82	£24.33	£22.14	£22.18
  Percentage of population spending	62.57%	74.14%	57.93%	64.41%	65.43%	60.27%	86.21%	45.83%	64.47%	61.63%	53.13%	55.42%

  Generational differences in Easter spending

  Millennials plan to spend the most, with the average spend being £31, while baby boomers plan to spend the least, at £20 on average. Millennials are also the most likely to spend, with 81% of this age group saying they will part with their money over Easter. Baby boomers are also the least likely to spend over Easter, with only 68% of this generation intending to do so.

  • Percentage spending over Easter by generation
  • Table

  	Gen Z	Millennials	Gen X	Baby boomers	Silent generation
  Individual spend	£29.98	£30.52	£20.98	£20.17	£20.41
  Percentage of population spending	77.78%	80.74%	72.53%	67.82%	67.90%

• Easter 2020 spending statistics

  On this page

  • Easter spending statistics
  • Easter spending trends
  • Regional differences

  • Gender differences
  • Generational differences
  • Easter 2018 and 2019 research

  This year, Easter falls between 10 April and 13 April, but the Easter eggs have been piling up at local supermarkets for weeks now. Here at Finder, we conducted our annual survey to find out how much Brits expect to spend on chocolate, gifts and entertainment over the 4-day weekend. And if you’re still looking for Easter treats, look at our gift guide for great ideas on chocolate eggs and gifts for this Easter.

  Easter spending statistics

  Our research revealed that almost three-quarters of Brits (73%) plan to celebrate Easter this year, which is equivalent to 38.3 million people. More than three-fifths (62%) plan on spending over the long weekend, meaning the total number of Brits planning to spend is 32.6 million. Alternatively, 11% of Brits say they will celebrate Easter without spending anything. Those who plan to part with their money will pay £27.66 on average, meaning this year’s average overall spend is estimated to be £902 million.

  Easter spending trends

  It seems when comparing this year’s data to last year’s (2019) that fewer people intend to celebrate and spend on Easter 2020. This could be due to the social-distancing measures and financial implications caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The number of those planning to celebrate is down by 6% compared to 2019 (78%), while those who intend to spend is down by 11% since 2019 (69%). Similarly, the average individual spend has decreased by £2.48 from 2019’s £30.14, meaning that the overall spend on Easter is down by £198 million (£1.1 billion).

  Easter festivities	2018	2019	2020
  Average spend	£24.41	£30.14	£27.66
  Percentage of Brits celebrating Easter	70%	78%	73%
  Percentage of Brits planning to spend	59%	69%	62%
  Population that is spending	30,917,973	35,896,291	32,621,082
  Overall spend	£754,707,720.00	£1,081,914,200.00	£902,299,118.00

  Easter spending across the UK

  The North East of England tops the other UK regions, with shoppers there expecting to part with £39.47 on average. Additionally, this region has the highest proportion of residents who plan to spend on Easter this year (73%). Those in the Southwest of England propose to spend the least, an average of £22.78. Northern Ireland’s residents are the least likely to spend on Easter, with only 57% of residents saying they plan to pay out for Easter gifts.

  • Average regional spend
  • Table

  Region	Average spend	Percentage of each region's residents who are planning to spend
  East of England	£25.02	61%
  East Midlands	£23.06	59%
  London	£36.60	61%
  North East	£39.47	73%
  North West	£25.54	57%
  Northern Ireland	£33.44	57%
  Scotland	£23.23	59%
  South East	£29.62	67%
  South West	£22.78	59%
  Wales	£25.39	68%
  West Midlands	£27.85	66%
  Yorshire and the Humber	£24.57	63%

  Gender differences in Easter spending

  We found that women are more likely to spend their cash this Easter, with nearly two-thirds (65%) saying they plan to spend, compared to only three-fifths (59%) of men. However, on average, men will shell out £29.83, a slightly higher amount than women, who expect to rack up an average spend of £25.77 over Easter.

  • Average spend
  • Table

  Gender	Average spend	Percentage of each gender planning to spend
  Female	£25.77	65%
  Male	£29.83	59%

  Generational differences in Easter spending

  Millennials are the least cost-conscious generation and plan to spend £32.41 on average. Generation Z expects to spend £20.77, which is the lowest amount. Similarly, almost three-quarters of millennials (73%) plan to spend – this is the highest proportion of spenders across all generations. At the other end of the scale are baby boomers, with just over half (54%) of this generation intending to spend on Easter 2020.

  Generation	Average spend	Percentage of each generation planning to spend
  Postmillennial/Generation Z (Born after 1996)	£20.77	69%
  Millennials (Born 1981-1996)	£32.41	73%
  Generation X (Born 1965-1980)	£29.39	61%
  Boomers (Born 1946-1964)	£23.40	54%
  Silent (Born 1928-1945)	£23.19	55%

  Methodology

  • Finder commissioned OnePoll in March 2020 to carry out a nationally representative survey of adults aged 18+.
  • A total of 2,000 people were questioned throughout Great Britain, with representative quotas for gender, age and region.

• Easter 2018 and 2019 spending and travel statistics

  Easter spending statistics

  Our research revealed that 7 in 10 Brits (69%) planned to spend specifically for Easter over the long weekend. This was a rise of 17% from our 2018 research, when 59% of Brits said they would fork out over Easter. Alternatively, 9% of Brits said they would celebrate Easter without spending anything. This took the total number of Brits celebrating Easter up to 41 million (78%).

  Easter festivities	2018	2019
  Average spend	£24.41	£30.14
  Percentage of Brits celebrating Easter	70%	78%
  Percentage of Brits planning to spend	59%	69%
  Population that is spending	30,917,973	35,896,291
  Overall spend	£754,707,720.00	£1,081,914,200.00

  Those who planned to part with their money intended to spend £30.14 on average, which was higher than 2018’s average of £24.41. 2019’s average overall spend was estimated to be £1.1 billion, an extra £330 million more than 2018, when spending was predicted to be £755 million.

  Easter spending across the UK

  The Northeast of England topped the other UK regions, with shoppers there expecting to part with £44.97 on average. Those in the West Midlands proposed to spend the least, an average of £25.57. Wales had the highest proportion of people spending for Easter (74%), followed by the Northeast (73%) and Yorkshire and the Humber residents (73%). East Midlands residents were the least likely to spend on Easter, with only 61% of residents saying they would pay out for Easter gifts.

  • Average predicted Easter spend
  • Percentage of people spending
  • Average predicted Easter spend per region

  Region	Average spend	Percentage of people spending during Easter
  East of England	£28	66%
  East Midlands	£26	61%
  London	£35	72%
  North East	£45	73%
  North West	£31	65%
  Northern Ireland	£32	66%
  Scotland	£28	67%
  South East	£28	65%
  South West	£30	71%
  Wales	£31	74%
  West Midlands	£26	72%
  Yorshire and the Humber	£29	73%

  Gender differences in Easter spending

  We found that women were more likely to spend their cash to celebrate Easter 2019, with nearly three-quarters (73%) saying that they planned to spend, compared to 64% of men. However, on average, men intended to shell out £30.61, a slightly higher amount than women, who expected to rack up an average spend of £29.74 over Easter.

  • Percentage of people spending
  • Average predicted Easter spend

  Generational differences in Easter spending

  Those aged 45–54 were the least cost-conscious generation. They planned to spend £32.25 on average, while those aged 18–24 expected to spend £25.28, which was the lowest amount.

  Age	Percentage of people spending	Average predicted Easter spend
  18-24	73.89%	£25.28
  25-34	74.06%	£31.06
  35-44	70.90%	£31.96
  45-54	69.35%	£32.25
  55+	63.13%	£29.28

  How many of us planned to travel at Easter in 2018?

  We found that an estimated 2.5 million Brits planned to travel either before or after Easter 2018 to save money.

  Roughly half of people (48.19%) travelling for Easter planned to do it over the Easter weekend. The remaining 35.42% planned to travel just outside of Easter, but not for money-saving purposes.

  • Travel plans
  • Table

  Travel plans	Percentage
  Plans to travel before/after Easter to save money	16.39%
  Plans to travel before/after Easter but not to save money	35.42%
  Plans to travel during Easter	48.19%

  How different generations, genders and ages planned to travel

  Both genders were almost as equally likely to travel just before or after Easter to save money (16.18% of women and 16.62% of men). Both millennials (18.89%) and generation X (18.08%) were more likely to opt for the cheaper option than baby boomers (12.07%). Of all the regions, Scots were the most likely (1 in 4 travellers) to save money by travelling outside of instead of during Easter.

  Where were Brits travelling to?

  Of the Brits who said they would be travelling for Easter, 35.97% of travellers said that their destination would be within the UK. Outside of the UK’s borders, France appeared to be the most popular destination, with 8.47% of travellers planning a French getaway over Easter, followed by Spain at 6.94%.

  Other popular European countries included Italy (3.75%), Portugal (2.64%), Cyprus (2.50%) and Poland (2.36%). At the time of the survey, over 1 in 4 travellers (27.50%) were still undecided as to where they would be travelling to and 6.39% say they would be travelling outside of Europe.

  Methodology

  Finder commissioned OnePoll to carry out a nationally representative survey of adults aged 18+.
  A total of 2,000 people were questioned throughout Great Britain, with representative quotas for gender, age and region.

  Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact

  Matt Mckenna
  Head of UK communications
  T: +44 20 8191 8806