Leisure in Europe: Insights from open data
Publication Date/Time
2025-07-31T11:00:00+00:00
Country
Europe
Open data reveals patterns of dining out, cultural participation and
seasonal travel in Europe
Leisure, culture and tourism are central to life across Europe –
especially during the warmer months, when cafés fill up, festivals
take over city squares and millions set off on holiday.

This data story uses open data to explore how dining out,
participating in cultural activities and seasonal travel shape
everyday life and mobility across Europe. While much of the data
reflects annual behaviour, it highlights activities that become
particularly visible or intensified during the summer season.

 

HOW EUROPEANS SPEND ON RESTAURANTS, CAFÉS AND TAKEAWAY

Dining out is a popular way to spend time with family and friends
across Europe. But how much do people actually spend on it?

FIGURE 1 shows the average share of household spending allocated to
dining out across EU Member States and thus offers insight into how
central dining out is to daily life in different countries. The
regional groupings of countries used here are based purely on
geographic location and follow the classification system set out in
the European Commission’s multilingual thesaurus (Eurovoc). These
categories are used for statistical and analytical purposes and do not
reflect any political or institutional divisions.

On average, 6.7 % of household budgets in the EU go towards dining
out – but this share varies widely between countries. Ireland tops
the ranking at 13.8 %, followed by Spain (12.7 %) and Malta
(12.2 %). These countries allocate a relatively large share of their
household spending to dining out, reflecting its strong presence in
everyday life. At the other end of the spectrum, households in Romania
spend only 2.8 %, in Poland 3.1 % and in Germany 4.1 %. These
differences suggest that the role of dining out in everyday life
varies significantly and might be shaped by cultural habits, income
levels and lifestyle preferences.

Looking more closely, the pattern does not follow a simple
geographical logic. Neighbouring Member States, such as Germany
(4.1 %) and Austria (9.7 %), show notably different spending levels,
with Austrians spending more than twice as much on dining out on
average. This highlights how national preferences and economic
contexts can outweigh geographical proximity.

Similar differences emerge in how people engage in culture and
entertainment, as we will see in the next section.
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Section%201%20-%20Option%202-min.png]
FIGURE 1: SHARE OF HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURE ALLOCATED TO DINING OUT
ACROSS THE EU, 2022

_Source_: Eurostat
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_co3_p3/default/table?lang=en]/data.europa.eu
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/e3td1ejcprfbhotlntxwa?locale=en]

 

JOINING THE CROWD: HOW EUROPEANS ENGAGE IN CULTURE AND SPORT

From music festivals to cinema screenings and sports events, culture
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/culture] and sport play a
significant role in leisure time across Europe. The data presented
here reflects annual participation in a wide range of such activities.

FIGURE 2 compares how often people in different Member States
attended cultural sites, live performances, sports events or cinema
screenings in 2022. The results show significant differences among
Member States – both in overall participation and in preferences
for specific types of events.

Denmark, Luxembourg and Finland consistently report some of the
highest participation rates, reflecting widespread involvement in
cultural and sporting life. In contrast, countries such as Bulgaria
and Romania report lower overall attendance, which may be linked to
factors such as limited access to venues, limited affordability or
alternative ways of spending leisure time.

Certain Member States also display clear preferences for specific
activities. Ireland leads in sports event attendance (40 %), while
citizens in Italy and Poland report higher cinema attendance (28 %
and 38 %, respectively). Latvia shows high interest in cultural sites
(31 %), while Cyprus stands out for live performances, which
represent the most-attended cultural activity in the country (27 %).
These patterns suggest that cultural engagement takes many forms and
might be shaped by local traditions, interests and opportunities.

Figure 2 highlights how cultural preferences differ across
Europe – offering a glimpse into the diverse ways people spend
their leisure time.
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Section%202%20-%20Final-min.png]
 

FIGURE 2: HOW EUROPEANS ENGAGE WITH CULTURE AND SPORT: PARTICIPATION
RATES BY MEMBER STATE, 2022

_Source_: Eurostat
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ilc_scp03/default/table?lang=en]/data.europa.eu
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/sobu0hvbbun7o8l3vxrxfq?locale=en]

 

SUMMER TRAVEL PEAKS: WHICH EUROPEAN REGIONS RELY MOST ON THE SEASON?

Open tourism data reveals how strongly seasonal travel patterns are
across different parts of Europe. By looking at the share of annual
overnight stays recorded during the summer months, we can see which
regions receive the bulk of their visitors between June and August.

FIGURE 3 highlights how, especially in coastal regions, tourism is
heavily concentrated in the summer. Specifically, along the southern
and eastern coasts of Italy, eastern Romania and Bulgaria and coastal
Ukraine, the majority of annual guest nights take place in just three
months of the year. Similar peaks are visible in Greece, the French
Riviera and the southern coastlines of Norway and Sweden.

In contrast, inland and urban regions across central and western
Europe tend to see more balanced tourism throughout the year. In these
areas, summer accounts for 20 % to 50 % of total overnight
stays – with a less pronounced seasonal peak.

Interestingly, Spain – the Member State with the highest total
number of international tourists
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tour_occ_ninat/default/table?lang=en] –
sees a smaller share of its tourism concentrated in the summer. This
suggests a more year-round appeal, supported by its varied climate and
diverse travel offerings.

These patterns highlight the varied character of European tourism. In
some regions, summer is the defining travel season, driving local
economies and shaping infrastructure. In others, tourism is more
evenly spread, offering year-round opportunities to explore.
[https://data.europa.eu/sites/default/files/img/media/Section%203%20-%20Final-min.png]
FIGURE 3: SHARE OF ANNUAL GUEST NIGHTS RECORDED DURING THE SUMMER
MONTHS (JUNE–AUGUST), 2023

_Source_: Eurostat
[https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/TOUR_OCC_NIN2M__custom_3923847/bookmark/table?lang=en&bookmarkId=f64e2e84-bda9-424e-a4aa-e0822d8bbffd&page=time:2021]/data.europa.eu
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets/sqnmnsmzjc49q6yygsbpw~~1?locale=en]

 

CONCLUSION

This data story shows how participation in and spending on specific
leisure activities vary across Europe. The differences between
countries and regions are striking: in some places, people spend more
than four times as much on food services as others, and similarly
large disparities exist in cultural and sporting participation.
Moreover, while some regions rely heavily on summer tourism, others
attract visitors all year round.

These patterns highlight the many factors that shape leisure across
Europe – and the value of open data in revealing key differences.
Continued access to timely, comparable data helps not only to describe
lifestyles, but also to inform decisions in areas such as tourism,
infrastructure and cultural policy.

To explore more insights like these, visit data.europa.eu
[https://data.europa.eu/] and see how open data brings Europe’s
diversity to life.

