27 Latest Halloween Spending Statistics & Facts for the UK (2024)

Pumpkins, spiderwebs, superhero suits – these are the staples of a good Halloween. But what do the latest Halloween spending statistics tell about how Brits celebrate this holiday?

UK Halloween Spending Statistics & Facts

1. Halloween spending in the UK is estimated to total £687 million in 2022. (Finder)
2. Spending on Halloween has increased rapidly in the past few years; in 2001, Halloween spending stood at a measly £12 million. (Beam)
3. The UK is still far behind the US, where spending in 2021 reached around £8.6 billion. (Investopedia)
4. The biggest Halloween spenders are parents with children under 5 (85% of the total spending). (Beam)
5. Young millennials also like the holiday, with 77% of the age group spending money on Halloween. (Real Business)
6. People in South East and East Anglia were the least likely to spend money on Halloween, according to statistics from 2017. (Mintel)
7. In 2017, 25% of those who spent money on Halloween splashed out between £10 and £25; 17% spent between £26 and £50. (Mintel)
8. The rich and the famous in London have gotten into Halloween spirit, with the wealthiest neighbourhoods spending up to £40,000 for a party. (The Daily Telegraph)

Sweet treats and pumpkins

9. The vast majority (80%) celebrate Halloween by buying sweets to hand out. (Savvy)
10. Out of all the money spent, 40% goes towards sweet treats. (Mintel)
11. One in five Brits planned to give out treats to trick-or-treaters in 2021. (YouGov)
12. Haribo controls 46.8% of Halloween sweet sales. (IRI)
13. Snickers is the most popular sweet treat in the UK for trick-or-treating. (Parkdean Resorts)
14. Brighton spent the most money on Halloween candy out of the UK cities, with an average of £18.6. (Statista)
15. Scottish cities have significant differences in their love of Halloween sweets; the people of Edinburgh splashed £16 on average, while Glasgow only spent £4.6. (Statista)
16. In 2020, Halloween home baking went up by 31% from the previous year to reach £2.1 million – primarily due to lockdown restrictions inspiring people to bake at home for the holiday. (conveniencestore.co.uk)
17. A quarter of Brits said they bought a pumpkin for Halloween in 2021, which would have cost them on average £1.47. (Finder)
18. In 2019, Asda sold the biggest Halloween pumpkins, Monster Pumpkins, for £5 each. (Birmingham Live)

Halloween costumes

19. The average family of three spends £122.55 on Halloween costumes. (RAJA UK)
20. Halloween costumes for men cost £33.10 on average, while women need to spend £67.80. (RAJA UK)
21. Americans spend nearly half a billion dollars on pet costumes on Halloween, and even in the UK, retailers are stocking pet outfits to meet demand. (The American Retail Federation)
22. Most people (37.1%) said they’d buy Halloween costumes from a supermarket, and only 9.5% head down to an independent fancy dress shop. (Webloaylty)
23. You need to be careful with what costume you wear if you drive, as costumes that limit the ability to drive safely can lead to a £100 on-the-spot fine. (MotorEasy)

Last-minute Halloween planning

24. Halloween is the UK’s third most profit-generating holiday after Christmas and Easter. (Eventbrite)
25. 88% of Halloween shoppers start planning the holiday a couple of weeks before, but 10% admit they will leave it all to the last minute. (Savvy)
26. When looking for ideas for the holiday, 73% of shoppers say they look for supermarkets, but the importance of social media is steadily growing. (Savvy)
27. While Brits like to spend money on Halloween, 63.2% believe it’s not an actual festival but purely a commercial opportunity! (Webloyalty)