Households spend most on food, shows survey

The share of food and non-alcoholic beverages in households' overall expenditure was 22.8 percent, followed by housing and rent at 22.4 percent last year, a survey by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) has shown.

Transport expenditure was the third largest expenditure item, with a share of 21.3 percent, according to TÜİK's Household Budget Survey.

Education and health services captured the lowest shares at 1.4 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively, while households allocated only 2.5 percent of their budget to entertainment and culture-related expenditure.

Communication's share was 3.1 percent of total expenditure. Households spent some 4.9 percent of their budget on clothing and 3.2 percent on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products.

TÜİK calculated that the monthly household consumption expenditure on average was 12,159 Turkish Liras, while it was 6,259 liras on average per person.

Consumption patterns change according to the source of income, the survey found.

"While households whose main source of income was wages and salaries allocated a 22.5 percent share for transportation, 21 percent for food and non-alcoholic beverages and 20.8 percent for housing and rent, households whose main source of income was entrepreneurial income allocated 27.2 percent share for transportation, 22.9 percent for food and non-alcoholic beverages and 18.5 percent for housing and rent," TUİK said.

The survey also found that the share of food expenditures of low-income households was two times higher than those of high-income households.

The lowest income group allocated nearly 36 percent of their budget to food and 29.3 percent to housing and rent, while the corresponding rates for the highest income group were 16.6...