Disposable income is closest to the concept of income as generally understood in economics. Household disposable income is income available to households such as wages and salaries, income from self-employment and unincorporated enterprises, income from pensions and other social benefits, and income from financial investments (less any payments of tax, social insurance contributions and interest on financial liabilities). ‘Gross’ means that depreciation costs are not subtracted. For gross household disposable income per capita, growth rates (percentage change from previous period) are presented; these are ‘real’ growth rates adjusted to remove the effects of price changes. Information is also presented for gross household disposable income including social transfers in kind, such as health or education provided for free or at reduced prices by governments and not-for-profit organisations. This indicator is in US dollars per capita at current prices and PPPs. In the System of National Accounts, household disposable income including social transfers in kind is referred to as ‘adjusted household disposable income’. All OECD countries compile their data according to the 2008 System of National Accounts (SNA 2008).

Household spending is the amount of final consumption expenditure made by resident households to meet their everyday needs, such as food, clothing, housing (rent), energy, transport, durable goods (notably cars), health costs, leisure, and miscellaneous services. It is typically around 60% of gross domestic product (GDP) and is therefore an essential variable for economic analysis of demand. Household spending including government transfers (referred to as "actual individual consumption" in national accounts) is equal to households' consumption expenditure plus those expenditures of general government and non-profit institutions serving households (NPISHs) that directly benefit households, such as health care and education. "Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels", one out of the twelve categories distinguished, consist of both actual rentals (for tenants) and imputed rentals (for owner-occupied housing), housing maintenance, as well as costs for water, electricity, gas. Total household spending is measured in million USD (in current prices and Private consumption PPPs), as a percentage of GDP, and in annual growth rates. Household spending including government transfers is measured as a percentage of GDP. Spending in housing is presented as a percentage of household disposable income. All OECD countries compile their data according to the 2008 System of National Accounts (SNA 2008).

Net household saving is defined as household net disposable income plus the adjustment for the change in pension entitlements less household final consumption expenditure (households also include non-profit institutions serving households). The adjustment item concerns (mandatory) saving of households, by building up funds in employment-related pension schemes. Household saving is the main domestic source of funds to finance capital investments, a major impetus for long-term economic growth. The net household saving rate represents the total amount of net saving as a percentage of net household disposable income. It thus shows how much households are saving out of current income and also how much income they have added to their net wealth. All OECD countries compile their data according to the 2008 System of National Accounts (SNA).

Household debt is defined as all liabilities of households (including non-profit institutions serving households) that require payments of interest or principal by households to the creditors at a fixed dates in the future. Debt is calculated as the sum of the following liability categories: loans (primarily mortgage loans and consumer credit) and other accounts payable. The indicator is measured as a percentage of net household disposable income.

Financial assets, such as saving depostis, investments in equity, shares and bonds, form an important part of overall wealth of households, and are an important source of revenue, either through the sales of these assets, or as a source of property income (such as interest and dividends). Pension entitlements are only included, if they relate to (funded) employment-related schemes, which may affect cross-country comparability to a considerable extent. Developments in the short term may show quite diverse movements, depending on the risk profile of the assets. The value of shares, for example, can show a relatively high volatility over the years. This indicator represents total financial assets of households per capita in US dollars at current PPPs.

The indicator household net financial transactions represents the balancing item of the financial accounts of households (including non-profit institutions serving households). It is calculated as the difference, in a given period, between the net acquisition of financial assets (saving depostis, equity and shares, bonds, etc.) and the net incurrence of liabilities (especially mortgage loans and consumer credit). The indicator is measured as a percentage of net household disposable income.

Household total net worth represents the total value of assets (financial as well as non-financial) minus the total value of outstanding liabilities of households (including non-profit institutions serving households). Please note that this indicator only takes into account the value of dwellings, and not other types of non-financial assets. The following financial assets and liabilities are included: currency and deposits; debt securities; loans; equity and investment fund shares/units; insurance, pensions and standardised guarantee schemes; financial derivatives and employee stock options; and other accounts receivable/payable. The indicator is measured as a percentage of household net disposable income.

The household saving rate is defined as the share of household net disposable income that is saved. Household saving in the System of National Accounts (SNA) / European System of Accounts (ESA) system is defined as household net disposable income, less consumption, plus the change in net equity of households in pension funds. The household sector refers in most cases to the household sector (S14 in the System of National Accounts terminology) plus the non-profit institutions serving households (sector S15). Household net disposable income consists essentially of income from employment and from the operation of unincorporated enterprises, plus receipts of interest, dividends and social benefits minus payments of current taxes, interest and social contributions. Household consumption expenditure consists mainly of cash outlays for consumer goods and services. Most OECD countries follow the SNA 2008/ESA 2010 accounting frameworks. Forecast is based on an assessment of the economic climate in individual countries and the world economy, using a combination of model-based analyses and expert judgement. This indicator is measured as a percentage of household disposable income.