Food and non-alcoholic beverages account for 25.2% of spending on goods and services in Romania, at a level similar to that of Tunisia (24.2%), Mexico (26.2%), and Turkey (27.3%), according to an analysis by the Picodi.com portal, Economedia reports. Depending on the country, spending on food products can vary from a few percent to over half of consumer spending. Romania ranked 55th in a ranking of 105 countries analyzed by the Picodi portal based on this criterion.
According to local statistics, the percentage is even higher. Thus, food and non-alcoholic beverages, worth 1,301 lei per household, held a significant share in total household consumption expenditures, 35.1%, in the first quarter, according to the INS.
The data collected shows that, depending on the country, spending on food can range from a few percent to over half of consumer spending. For example, less than a tenth of household spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages is found in countries such as the US – 6.7%, Singapore – 8.4%, the UK – 8.7%, Ireland – 9.2% and Switzerland – 9.9%.
In this ranking, Romania ranked 55th out of 105 countries – food and non-alcoholic beverages represent 25.2% of spending on goods and services. This result is similar to that of Tunisia (24.2%), Mexico (26.2%), and Turkey (27.3%).
Of the countries included in the ranking, the highest percentage of food expenditure is found in Nigeria, Myanmar and Kenya – 59%, 56.6% and 56.1%, respectively.
How much money is spent on food in Europe?
The highest shopping expenses in Europe are recorded in Switzerland (325 EUR/month), followed by Norway (308 EUR/month) and Denmark (281 EUR/month), which can be explained by the generally high prices in these countries.
A Romanian spends an average of 171 euros per month on food.
The lowest food expenses are found in Ukraine (98 EUR/month), Belarus (89 EUR/month) and Moldova (88 EUR/month).
The report authors state that for this analysis, they used the latest household food and non-alcoholic beverage consumption statistics from Euromonitor and official government websites. For currency conversion, Google Finance average exchange rate data for April 2023 was used.
What does a household’s expenses look like in Romania, according to the INS
According to the National Institute of Statistics, in the first quarter of 2023, the average total monthly income represented, in nominal terms, 6979 lei per household, representing 2797 lei per person, an increase of 5.2% and 5.6%, respectively, compared to the fourth quarter of 2022. Compared to the first quarter of the previous year, the average total monthly income per household increased by 12.1%, and those per person by 13.0%. The total average monthly expenditures3) of the population in the first quarter of 2023 were 5971 lei per household (2393 lei per person) and represented 85.6% of total income, down by 2.5 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of 2022. Compared to the first quarter of the previous year, the total average monthly expenditures per household increased by 12.2%, and those per person by 13.1%.
According to the standard classification of consumption expenditure by destination (COICOP), food and non-alcoholic beverages, amounting to 1301 lei per household, had a significant share in total household consumption expenditure (35.1%). These are followed in size by expenditure on housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, amounting to 682 lei per household, with a share in total average monthly consumption expenditure of 18.4%, and by expenditure on alcoholic beverages and tobacco, amounting to 271 lei per household, with a share in total average monthly consumption expenditure of 7.3%. The lowest level of population expenditure was that made for education, 24 lei per household (0.7% of total average monthly consumption expenditure) and for insurance and financial services, 31 lei per household (0.8% of total average monthly consumption expenditure). These are followed in size by the expenses for housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels in the amount of 682 lei per household, with a share in the total average monthly consumption expenses of 18.4% and by those for alcoholic beverages and tobacco in the amount of 271 lei per household, with a share in the total average monthly consumption expenses of 7.3%. The lowest level of population expenses was that made for education 24 lei per household (0.7% of the total average monthly consumption expenses) and that for insurance and financial services 31 lei per household (0.8% of the total average monthly consumption expenses).
