Household Expenditure Survey

The Household Expenditure Survey (HES) is conducted by the Singapore Department of Statistics (DOS) once in every five years to collect detailed information on households’ expenditure and data on demographic and socio-economic characteristics as well as ownership of consumer durables. It is carried out over a one-year period to cover households’ festive and seasonal expenditure.

One main objective of the HES is to update the weighting pattern and the basket of goods and services for the compilation of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), an indicator of inflation in Singapore. The HES also provides insights to how consumers’ lifestyle and spending habits change over time. Findings from the HES are published for use by public and private sector organisations as well as members of the public.

Surveys of a similar nature are conducted in other parts of the world, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia.