6% in the US, what about us: How much of their income do Uzbeks spend on food?
The population of Uzbekistan spends a significant portion of their consumer expenditure — an average of 44.8 percent (rounded to nearly 45 percent) — solely on daily food products. A global ranking map prepared based on research by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA Economic Research Service) confirms this figure.
According to the provided infographic, Uzbekistan is ranked 7th in the top 10 countries in the world that allocate the largest share of the family budget to food. Notably, national statistics record an even more serious figure: according to internal household surveys by the Statistics Agency of Uzbekistan, in practice, this number can reach up to 56.5 percent of expenditures.
What does Engel's Law say and why is this an important indicator?
In economics, there is a well-known Engel's Law, which is considered the primary criterion for assessing the actual level of prosperity of a population:
Income and stomach correlation: The lower the real income of a family or society, the larger the percentage of its daily budget allocated to food and groceries;
Development constraint: As income rises, the share spent on food decreases sharply, and the remaining funds are directed toward children's education, quality healthcare, travel, personal comfort, and savings for the future;
Inflation risk: High food expenditures mean that the country's population is extremely sensitive and vulnerable to market price changes and food inflation.
The situation in countries around the world: A sharp contrast with developed nations
These calculations include only products purchased for home consumption and do not include expenses for restaurants, cafes, alcoholic beverages, and tobacco:
TOP 10 countries that spend the most on food (according to the infographic):
Nigeria — 56%
Myanmar — 55%
Laos — 54%
Kenya — 49%
Turkmenistan — 46%
Tanzania — 46%
Uzbekistan — 45% (precisely 44.8%)
Cameroon — 43%
Ivory Coast — 43%
Kazakhstan — 42% (precisely 41.7%)
Indicators of neighbors and developed countries:
CIS and nearby countries: Ukraine — 42% (41.6%), Belarus — 30.6%, Russia — 26% (25.7%), Turkey — 22%;
Leading economies: The US population spends only 6% of their expenditures on food. In the UK and Ireland, this figure is 8%, in Germany and Norway it is 12%, and in France and Japan it is 13% and 16% respectively.
Experts note that the main factor in increasing the prosperity of the population in Uzbekistan is ensuring the growth of real incomes and strengthening domestic competition to guarantee price stability in the food market.
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