Guideline (EU) 2025/333 of the European Central Bank of 31 January 2025 on statistical information to be reported on household wealth, income and consumption (ECB/2025/3)

This Guideline establishes the requirements for NCBs to report to the ECB statistical information on household wealth, income and consumption that they have collected on the basis of national law. In particular, this Guideline specifies the statistical information to be reported by the NCBs to the ECB, the treatment of that information, the frequency and timing of that reporting and the standards applied to that reporting.

For the purpose of this Guideline, the following definitions apply: (1) ‘HFCS’ (Household Finance and Consumption Survey) means the set of country surveys implemented in individual Member States on the wealth, income and consumption of households; (2) ‘country survey’ means a survey conducted in a Member State which forms part of the HFCS; (3) ‘fieldwork period’ means the period during which data is collected from the respondents to a country survey; (4) ‘reference period’ means the period to which the statistical information relates; (5) ‘reference date’ means the date to which the statistical information relates; (6) ‘private household’ means a person living alone or a group of persons who live together in the same private dwelling and share expenditures, including the joint provision of living essentials as well as financial decisions, as further specified in Part 3 of Annex I; (7) ‘personal data’ has the meaning attributed to the term by Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and Regulation (EU) 2018/1725; (8) ‘anonymisation’ means the process by which the possibility of direct or indirect identification has been eliminated such that neither a private household nor a natural person can be identified, and the anonymisation cannot be reversed; (9) ‘output variables’ means the standardised data categories covering the statistical information specified in Annex I and Annex II; (10) ‘imputation’ means assignment of an estimated value to an output variable that could not be collected or was not correctly collected. The estimated value is based on values collected for other households; (11) ‘administrative data’ mean data generated by a non-statistical source, usually a public body, the main aim of which is not the provision of statistics; (12) ‘aggregate indicators’ means summary statistics of certain output variables representative of the population that do not contain any confidential statistical information as defined in Article 1(12) of Regulation (EC) No 2533/98; (13) ‘usual residence’ means ‘usual residence’ as defined in Article 2(11) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 of the European Parlament and of the Council ; (14) ‘sampling frames’ shall have the same meaning as defined in Article 2(14) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1700; (15) ‘research dataset’ means data files including statistical results based on statistical information on households and household members collected in line with this Guideline and made suitable for the performance of ESCB tasks.

1 NCBs shall report to the ECB statistical information on household wealth, income, consumption, and related core economic, financial and demographic output variables in accordance with Annex I.

2 An NCB may report certain non-core economic, financial and demographic output variables in accordance with Annex II.

3 An NCB may decide to voluntarily report non-core economic, financial and demographic output variables, in addition to the output variables referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, where these relate to current or recent developments that may directly affect the economic or financial situation of different groups of citizens resident in the euro area.

4 NCBs shall report to the ECB the information describing the features of the country surveys undertaken by NCBs, as set out in Annex III.

5 The statistical information to be reported pursuant to this Article shall be based on one or a combination of the following sources: (a) data collected from the country surveys provided directly by respondents of the HFCS, which are preferably collected by computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI). Where CAPI is not used to collect the data, computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI), computer-assisted web-interview (CAWI), computer-assisted self-interview (CASI) or other computer-assisted methods may be used for any or all parts of the data collection. NCBs shall provide explanations to the ECB for using computer-assisted methods, other than CAPI, upon request; (b) administrative data.

1 NCBs shall ensure that the statistical information to be reported is collected within the limits of a statistical population defined as comprising all persons having their usual residence in private households in each euro area Member State.

2 NCBs shall ensure that the statistical information is collected from a representative sample of the statistical population.

1 NCBs shall draw the statistical information from sampling frames set up at national level that allow private households or natural persons to be selected at random, with a known non-zero probability of selection. The sampling frames shall aim to identify and cover exhaustively the statistical population with a minimum coverage error and shall be regularly updated.

2 Where sub-populations covered by a country survey are significantly under-represented in the achieved sample, NCBs shall take measures such as oversampling or applying other relevant methods to correct the resulting bias, taking into account the need for cost-effectiveness. NCBs shall explain and assess the methods applied, their impact and any drawbacks in the statistical information specified in Annex III.

3 NCBs may allow for the controlled substitution of the sample private households or natural persons if the response rate of the country survey falls below 60 % for those selected to be interviewed for the first time, and one of the following applies: (a) the sample private household or person cannot be contacted; (b) the sample private household or person is contacted, but the interview cannot be completed. The set of sample private households or natural persons for controlled substitution shall be defined prior to the data collection. There shall be no controlled substitution with private households or natural persons not belonging to that set.

1 Before reporting the statistical information to the ECB, the NCBs shall ensure that each core output variable that is missing due to non-responses is imputed where necessary in accordance with Annex I.

2 Each missing value which is being imputed shall be imputed five times applying multiple stochastic imputation so that the number of implicates is five.

3 Paragraph 2 shall not apply where the NCB considers that the missing information does not impact the overall data output generated by the survey.

1 The NCBs shall carry out at least 50 % of the interviews referred to in Article 3(5), point (a), in their country survey during the applicable HFCS reference year as referred to in Article 9.

2 The NCBs shall report the statistical information pursuant to Article 3 based on a fieldwork period that fulfils the following criteria: (a) the fieldwork period does not exceed 9 months; (b) the fieldwork period does not begin before October of the year preceding the HFCS reference year or after the end of October in the HFCS reference year; (c) the fieldwork period ends no later than the end of June of the year following the HFCS reference year.

1 For statistical information related to wealth collected from country surveys, the reference date shall be either of the following: (a) the date when the statistical information was collected by interview; or (b) 31 December of the calendar year preceding the HFCS reference year referred to in Article 9, provided that the fieldwork period is completed within that HFCS reference year.

2 For statistical information related to wealth based on administrative data, the reference date shall be either of the following: (a) a date in the HFCS reference year referred to in Article 9; or (b) 31 December of the calendar year preceding the HFCS reference year referred to in Article 9.

3 For the statistical information related to income collected from country surveys, the reference period shall be a 12-month period ending either: (a) on 31 December of the calendar year preceding the start of the fieldwork period; or (b) during the month preceding the date when the statistical information was collected by interview.

4 For the statistical information related to income based on administrative data, the reference period shall be a 12-month period ending either: (a) on 31 December of the calendar year preceding the HFCS reference year referred to in Article 9; or (b) on a date in the HFCS reference year referred to in Article 9.

5 The reference dates and periods for all other statistical information referred to in Article 3(1) and (2) are set out in Part 1, paragraph 5, and Table A of Annex I and Part 1, paragraph 3, and Table A of Annex II, respectively.

1 The HFCS reference year of the first transmission of statistical information referred to in Article 3 from NCBs to the ECB shall be 2026.

2 The HFCS reference years for subsequent transmissions shall follow the year 2026 with a three-year frequency.

3 NCBs shall report to the ECB the statistical information pursuant to Article 3 every 3 years.

4 NCBs shall report to the ECB the statistical information pursuant to Article 3 within 19 months following the end of the fieldwork period, and no later than 36 months from the beginning of the HFCS reference year.

5 Where NCBs derive part of the statistical information to be reported pursuant to this Guideline from administrative data, the deadline for the ECB to receive the statistical information referred to in Article 3 is 22 months after the end of the fieldwork period, and not later than 36 months from the beginning of the HFCS reference year.

1 NCBs may transmit to the ECB revisions of the statistical information reported pursuant to Article 3 that refer to previous HFCS reference years.

2 NCBs shall provide explanations to the ECB for revisions reported pursuant to paragraph 1 upon request.

1 For the purposes of this Guideline, each NCB is the controller within the meaning of Article 4(7) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the data that it has collected in its country survey, or by other means, as relevant in its Member State, and that it is responsible for reporting to the ECB in accordance with Article 3.

2 NCBs shall ensure that no personal data as referred to in Article 3(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 and Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 is reported to the ECB when reporting statistical information pursuant to Article 3 or where any other information in connection with the HFCS is shared. This means that each data element which would allow a natural person or a household to be identified, either directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identifier such as a name, an identification number, location data, an online identifier or one or more factors specific to the physical, physiological, genetic, mental, economic, cultural or social identity of that natural person is removed or anonymised before reporting the statistical information to the ECB, including where an NCB receives the statistical information or parts thereof from a third party.

3 If the ECB discovers or is informed by an NCB that personal data were erroneously transmitted, it shall immediately delete that personal data, and shall inform the relevant NCB accordingly.

1 NCBs shall monitor and ensure the quality and reliability of the statistical information reported to the ECB pursuant to this Guideline, including ensuring that the statistical information is appropriately reported to the ECB according to the statistical principles set out in Article 3a of Regulation (EC) No 2533/98.

2 Where necessary, NCBs shall provide explanations to the ECB on the interpretation of aspects of the output variables which are based on national specificities or structural breaks in detail, including the impact on that statistical information. NCBs shall also provide such explanations upon request by the ECB.

1 NCBs shall transmit the statistical information to be reported pursuant to this Guideline electronically, using the means specified by the ECB. The format developed for this electronic exchange of statistical information shall be the format agreed by the ESCB.

2 Where paragraph 1 does not apply, NCBs may use other means of transmitting statistical information with the ECB’s prior consent.

1 Where the sources for part or all of the statistical information described in Article 3 are competent authorities or bodies other than NCBs, NCBs may establish the appropriate cooperation arrangements with these authorities or bodies to ensure a permanent structure for transmission of data which fulfils the ECB’s requirements set out in this Guideline, unless the same result is already achieved by national legislation.

2 For the purposes of paragraph 1, NCBs shall be responsible for ensuring that the ECB’s requirements set out in this Guideline are complied with when it relies on cooperation arrangements with other competent authorities or bodies to collect the statistical information described in Article 3.

The ECB shall use the statistical information collected under Article 3 for statistical purposes as follows: (a) to grant access to the research dataset (i) within the ESCB; and (ii) to scientific research bodies in accordance with the criteria and procedure set out in Annex IV; and (b) to disseminate reports which include aggregate indicators. Each NCB is deemed to have provided its prior explicit consent and to have secured the prior explicit consent of any other authority which provided the statistical information collected under Article 3 to them prior to the granting of access under point (a).

Where the ECB has granted access to the research dataset to persons fulfilling the criteria for designating eligible researchers in accordance with Annex IV, those researchers may continue to have access to that research datatset in accordance with those criteria.

Taking account of the views of the Statistics Committee of the ESCB, the ECB’s Executive Board may make any technical amendments to the Annexes provided that such amendments neither change the underlying conceptual framework of this Guideline nor affect the reporting burden of NCBs. The Executive Board shall inform the Governing Council of any such amendment without undue delay.

1 For the first transmission, NCBs may report to the ECB the statistical information referred to in Article 3 as follows: (a) within 21 months following the end of the fieldwork period, and not later than 36 months from the beginning of the HFCS reference year; (b) where NCBs derive part of the statistical information to be reported pursuant to this Guideline from administrative data, within 25 months following the end of the fieldwork period, and not later than 36 months from the beginning of the HFCS reference year.

2 Where an NCB requires a longer phase-in period for collecting the necessary statistical information referred to in Article 3, the Governing Council may grant an individual temporary derogation from the obligation to report to the ECB the required statistical information for the first transmission in line with Article 9(1). The individual temporary derogation shall only apply to the first transmission as referred to in Article 9(1).

3 Where an individual temporary derogation is granted pursuant to paragraph 2, the NCB concerned shall report at least once a year to the ESCB Statistics Committee on its progress in achieving full compliance with the obligation to report to the ECB for the subsequent transmissions as referred to in Article 9(2).

4 The Governing Council may decide that further restrictions are to be imposed on individual NCBs benefitting from any derogation under this Article.

This Guideline shall take effect on the day of its notification to the national central banks of the Member States whose currency is the euro.

This Guideline is addressed to all Eurosystem central banks.