Data published by Eurostat on Wednesday 3 January showed that in 2016, Luxembourg households spent on average €1,700 on clothes and footwear in 2016 and 2017, up from €1,400 in 2005.

The figure was the highest of any EU 28 country and twice the EU average of €800.

On shoes, Luxembourg households spent on average €300, three times the EU average, and on clothing they shelled out €1,400, twice the EU average.

As a proportion of household expenditure, Luxembourg residents spent on average 5.6% on clothes and shoes, above the EU average of 4.9%.

According to Eurostat, 4.9% represents a total expenditure of €395.4 billion, equivalent to 2.7% of EU GDP or €800 per EU inhabitant.

“Households’ annual expenditure on clothing and footwear is therefore slightly higher than the amount they spent on their health,” Eurostat concluded.