In January–March 2025, card payments were primarily made to vendors of food and non-alcoholic beverages

Card payments are categorised according to the vendor’s industry, rather than the contents of a given purchase. Approximately 76% of funds paid by customers were used in four industries: 30 % in food and non-alcoholic beverages, 20% in miscellaneous goods and services, 15% in transport, and 11% recreation and culture.

By industry, the growth is mainly explained by an increase in the consumption of miscellaneous goods and services. Customers paid a total of EUR 3.5 billion for miscellaneous goods and services, i.e. over EUR 400 million more than in the corresponding period a year earlier.[1] From October–December, the total value of card payments declined by 9.7%. Consumers typically spend more money in the rest of the year than in the first quarter.

Cards were used to make payments totalling EUR 1.8 billion to the recreation and culture industry, i.e. 12% more than a year earlier. Payments to vendors in the health industry totalled EUR 886 million, 10% more than in the corresponding period last year.

Only one industry had significantly less card payment volume in January–March 2025 than in the corresponding period last year. Customers paid a total of EUR 250 million to vendors of alcoholic beverages and tobacco, or EUR 21 million less than in the first quarter of 2024. The alcohol content limit for fermented alcoholic beverages in retail sales increased to 8.0% in June 2024, and Alko’s litre sales volume has been declining since then.[2] Overall, retail sales of alcohol have declined following the reform. Products affected by the legislative reform were bought increasingly from retail vendors and less from Alko[3], and therefore it is likely that a higher proportion of the sales of alcohol are now included in these statistics in the food and non-alcoholic beverages industry.

Some of the figures discussed in this news release have been published in the new payment statistics dashboard

The next quarterly news release on payment statistics will be published at 10 a.m. on 4 September 2025.

Further information

• Usva Topo, tel. +358 9 183 2056, email: usva.topo(at)bof.fi,
• Olli Tuomikoski, tel. +358 9 183 2925, email: olli.tuomikoski(at)bof.fi.

[1] The COICOP classification has a total of 13 industry categories and one for payments with the industry unspecified. More information on the classification is available on Statistics Finland's website.

[2] Further information on sales by litre volume is available in Alko’s press release (in Finnish), and more information on this year's decline in sales volumes is available in the dashboard.

[3] More information in a press release of the Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (in Finnish)