Kazakhstan has officially entered the top ten countries in the world with the highest share of household spending on food, sharing these positions with countries with developing economies. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
According to recent economic studies based on data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), food expenses in the republic take up a critical part of the family budget.
The share of food expenses is a key indicator of the well-being of citizens. The higher it is, the less opportunity the population has to invest in education, healthcare, recreation, and savings. Kazakhstan is among the states with a high share of food costs.
According to the chart, residents of Nigeria (59.2%), Myanmar (54.8%), and Laos (53.9%) spend the most on food. Kazakhstan is in the same group — 42%. For comparison, in neighboring Russia this figure is 26%, in Uzbekistan 45%, in Belarus – 31%, Georgia 31%, and Azerbaijan – 37.6%.
In high-income countries, food expenses make up a minimal share of the budget: in Singapore — 6.3%, in the USA — 6.4%, and in the UK and Switzerland — less than 10%.
Within the food basket itself, expenses are distributed unevenly. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, the absolute leader in terms of expenses is meat products.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that Kazakhstanis were told about expenses that imperceptibly eat up salaries.