Generation X, which groups all those born between 1965 and 1980, has also been called "the Sandwich Generation" because it is in the middle of two age groups that depend on it: on the one hand, the parents, whom they care for and offer physical, emotional or economic attention, and, on the other hand, the children who continue to need their help, even more so in these times of uncertainty for young people.
Being so intertwined with the other two generations, those who are now between 45 and 60 years old, play a central role in consumption, exerting a strong influence on the purchasing decisions of parents and children. Suffice it to say that women of this generation control 50% of global spending and influence between 70% and 80% of family purchasing decisions.
"Generation X is at the center of an important economic change, as it leads spending in several categories and manages the needs of several generations, said Marta Cyhan-Bowles, Director of Communications and Head of Global Marketing of NIQ (Communications Officer & Head of Global Marketing COE), who added that "the data is clear: Generation X's influence is profound and, too often, overlooked by brands. This target group will continue to shape the future of the global economy and consumption for years to come."
Thus, this is the profile drawn by the latest global report prepared by NielsenIQ, in collaboration with World Data Lab (WDL), entitled "The X Factor: How Generation X is quietly driving trillions in consumer spending" and which analyzes spending on FMCG and T&D. People born between 1965 and 1980 are the most influential and perhaps neglected consumer segment of the next decade.
The largest group in Spain
In Spain there are currently 12.2 million people who belong to this generation, of which 4.5 million people belong to the middle class and contribute to the turnover of large retailers with 82.3 billion, with a per capita expenditure of 18,000 euros. The total expenditure of Generation X for 2025 is equivalent to about 236,000 million euros and is destined to grow by 29.3%, reaching 305,000 million in 2030.
Curious and open to exploration: the characteristic features of Generation X
According to NielsenIQ data, although Spaniards born between 1965 and 1980 like to try new things, they are not pioneers, as this role corresponds to Generation Z (21% compared to 12% of Generation X) but, in any case, it is emerging as a curious profile and willing to try new products. In fact, 36% like to try new items and keep up to date with new products, and often look for new products to try, compared to 24% of boomers.
In addition, 35% of the sample of Spanish consumers belonging to Generation X say they do not pay attention to the brand, but are mainly guided by what they need at that time, while 28% indicate that they want to include in their shopping basket, whenever possible, the large known brands or distributor brands, in line with the rest of the generations, with the exception of Generation Z, whose percentage is a little lower, 22%.
A high percentage, 60%, say they like to treat themselves or their family to a premium brand instead of a cheaper alternative, only surpassed by millennials (62%) but far from boomers and Generation Z (53% and 54%).
For its part, 14% say they buy small brands instead of large manufacturers or distributor brands, slightly higher than 8% of boomers, but below 17% of Millennials or 21% of Generation Z.
Generation X, oriented towards technology, but still in need of human interactions
The portrait of the members of the Spanish Generation X is somewhat complex when the focus is on their relationship with technology.
On the one hand, technological advances are integrated into their daily lives and, for example, they take advantage of AI to automate and streamline day-to-day purchasing decisions (31%) and rely on smart devices (e.g., refrigerator sensors) to order missing products (34%), practically the same as millennials and Generation Z (35%) and far from boomers (20%). On the other hand, however, there is still a halo of caution: to safeguard privacy, 56% avoid sharing personal information in virtual interactions, and the same percentage says that it still requires human intervention when requesting assistance from customer service, as indicated by more than half of the sample.
"In Spain, Generation X is the backbone of consumption," said Luis Simoes, General Manager of NielsenIQ for Iberia. "Retailers and manufacturers cannot afford to overlook a group that controls more than 236,000 million euros in annual spending and influences the decisions of both their parents and their children. They are tech-savvy, demanding and willing to invest in premium products. In many ways, they are the 'hidden engine' of Spanish retail growth, and those who earn their loyalty will secure a decisive advantage in the next decade."
In addition, they not only have a concrete potential to guide spending decisions, but they also have a great purchasing capacity: globally, people between 45 and 60 years old are in their peak spending years since 2021, and will continue to be the people with the highest spending in the world until 2033.
However, the market is mainly targeting Generation Z, forgetting about Generation X, which, according to forecasts, will spend 15.2 trillion dollars in 2025 alone, and whose annual spending will reach a maximum of 23 trillion in 2035. An increase aimed at three key categories: food and non-alcoholic beverages (+507,000 million dollars); beauty (+80,000 million dollars) and alcoholic beverages (+42,000 million dollars).