Consumer confidence in Paraguay weakened for a second straight month in September, with the central bank’s index slipping to 39.09 points and staying below the neutral 50 mark for a sixth consecutive month, a sign households remain wary about spending, saving and the broader outlook.
Paraguay consumer confidence falls to 39.09 in September
The reading matters because consumer sentiment is one of the clearest early gauges of demand in a small open economy like Paraguay’s. When confidence stays this low for this long, households typically delay major purchases, keep savings tight and lean toward caution, which can feed into slower retail sales, softer credit demand and weaker growth momentum.
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The Banco Central del Paraguay said the confidence index fell from 39.67 in August and dropped 10.77 points from a year earlier, when it was near neutral at 49.86. The current conditions gauge was even weaker, with the situation index at 28.42 points, down 1.50 points on the month and 7.58 points from September 2025.
Longer-term expectations were close to neutral at 49.75 points, up slightly from August, but still down sharply from 63.71 a year earlier. That gap between present-day pessimism and only marginally better expectations suggests consumers see little immediate relief even if they are not fully abandoning hopes for improvement.
The survey also showed households remain reluctant to commit to big-ticket purchases. Only 4.75% said September was a good time to buy appliances, down from 5.50% a year earlier, while just 1.50% saw a good time to buy a home. Intentions to buy cars and motorcycles improved modestly from August but stayed below last year’s levels at 3.00% and 2.25%, respectively.
Saving intentions rose to 12.75% from 11.00% in August, but that was still below the 19.50% level seen a year ago, underscoring a cautious consumer base that is not yet prepared to spend freely. For investors, the message is that domestic demand may remain a drag on retailers, appliance sellers, auto dealers, lenders and other consumer-facing businesses unless sentiment improves meaningfully in the coming months.
The next catalyst is whether softer inflation, better labor conditions or policy easing can lift household confidence enough to revive discretionary spending. Until then, Paraguay’s consumer sector looks set to remain defensive.
| Entity | Gains | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Savers | ▲more caution on household budgets | ▼weak appetite for spending |
| Retailers and appliance sellers | ▲defensive inventory planning | ▼slower demand for durables |
| Auto and housing sellers | ▲limited near-term support from financing discipline | ▼weaker big-ticket purchases |
| Consumer lenders | ▲lower credit risk from cautious borrowing | ▼softer loan growth |
