Income, consumption and wealth (ICW) statistics are experimental statistics computed by Eurostat through the statistical matching of three data sources: the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), the Household Budget Survey (HBS) and the Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS). These statistics enable us to observe at the same time the income that households receive, their expenditures and their accumulated wealth.

The annual collection of EU-SILC was launched in 2003 and is governed by Regulation 1700/2019 (previously: Regulation 1177/2003 ) of the European Parliament and of the Council. The EU-SILC collects cross-sectional and longitudinal information on income. HBS is a survey conducted every 5 years on the basis of an agreement between Eurostat, the Member States and EFTA countries. Data are collected using national questionnaires and, in most cases, expenditure diaries that respondents are asked to keep over a certain period of time. HFCS collects information on assets, liabilities, and to a limited extent income and consumption, of households. The survey is run by National Central Banks and coordinated by the European Central Bank.

This page focuses on the main issues of importance for the use and interpretation of ICW statistics. Information on the primary data sources can be found on the respective EU-SILC and HBS metadata pages and following the links provided in the sections 'related metadata' and 'annexes' below.