Across the globe people celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14. The celebration doesn’t vary much from country to country and it’s typically viewed as a romantic holiday.
Here in the U.S., it’s common to give gifts like chocolates and/or flowers, while some give more lavish gifts like jewelry. Many couples prefer to dine out making the evening quite a boon for the restaurant industry. With so many people purchasing candy like chocolate at the same time did you ever wonder just how much is produced? Would it surprise you to learn that 58 million pounds of chocolate candy is bought during Valentine’s week alone? That’s what we learned over at History.com where they broke it down to show Valentine’s Day by the Numbers.
But, all is not rosy. Research by The Balance shows that Valentine’s Day spending is down this year from $19.7 billion in 2016 to $18.6 billion. They attribute this to the dwindling numbers of those that celebrate the holiday. They found that as people age, they are less inclined to celebrate Valentine’s Day and with the country’s aging population getting larger, the number of those no longer celebrating is growing.
Although they report dwindling sales, Valentine’s Day is still bringing nearly $20 billion dollars into the economy-almost $2 billion in candy sales alone. You can find the full article here.
Whether you’re spending Valentine’s Day with a romantic partner or not, we hope that you enjoy your day and that it’s filled with laughter, companionship and lots and lots of chocolate.