Pakistanis spend nearly half of their income on food: Report

An average Pakistani spends 47.7 per cent of their house hold budget on food consumed at home.


Ismail Sheikh August 04, 2014

Pakistanis spent almost half of their household budget on food in 2012, the highest ratio in the world, a survey found.

According to a report by the US Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service in which 84 countries were surveyed, Pakistanis spend more of their income on food than any other country. An average Pakistani spends 47.7 per cent of their house hold budget on food consumed at home.

On the other hand, people in United States spent the least on food, even less than Europeans and Canadians. An average American citizen spends only 6.6 per cent of their house hold budget on food at home.

In Pakistan, where average consumer expenditures per person, which comprises of personal expenditures on goods and services, are $871 people spend $415 on food at home. In comparison, Americans spend nearly $2,273 on food.

It is pertinent to note that while US citizens spent a smaller fraction of their budget on food, the amount spent on food is almost five times of what an average Pakistani spends on food.

The stark difference could possibly be explained since the per capita income of Pakistan stood at $1,299 in 2012-13, while the per capita income of US was $53,143.

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Besides the US, people in Singapore, United Kingdom and Canada spend less than 10 per cent of consumer expenditure on food. An average Singaporean spends almost 7.3 per cent of their household income on food, while Britishers and Canadians splash almost 9.1 and 9.6 per cent of their house hold budget on food.

An average Indian spends almost $220 every year on food at home, which translates into 25.2 per cent of their total consumer expenditure every year.

COMMENTS (41)

Sadiya | 10 years ago | Reply

To the article author . I'm not interested in being compaired with others, but with expenditure on food in president and prime minsters and chief minsters compaired with average house hold in Pakistan.

IndianDude | 10 years ago | Reply

@Sudhanshu Swami @IndianDude they started eating after 1971 ?

Do you know what is sarcasm?

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