In past eight years, Bulgarians have cut spending on bread, booze and cigarettes
Between 2008 and 2016, Bulgarians cut down on buying bread while consuming more fruit and vegetables – and they drank a bit less alcohol, buying fewer cigarettes too.
This is according to the National Statistical Institute’s annual report on Bulgarians’ household income, spending and consumption, released on April 18 2017.
Bread consumption per capita in households dropped by 1.5kg from 2008 to 2016.
According to the NSI, consumption of alcoholic beverages dropped from 29.2 litres in 2018 to 27.3 litres in 2016.
Bulgarian households spent an average 4755 leva (about 2430 euro) per capita in 2016, a figure about 1.9 per cent higher than in 2015 and 1.5 times higher than in 2008.
Of this, a total of 3926 leva went on consumer spending. Broken down further, this included 1464 on food and non-alcoholic beverages, 206 leva on alcoholic beverages, 172 leva on clothing and footwear, 681 leva on housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, 175 leva on furnishing and house maintenance, 263 leva on health, 326 leva on transport, 211 leva on communications, 226 leva on recreation, culture and education and 202 leva on “miscellaneous goods and services”.
Of the annual sum, 247 leva went on taxes and 310 leva on social insurance contributions, according to the NSI.
Other notable figures in the NSI report included 195 leva for savings deposits and 156 leva on loans.
The NSI noted that spending by Bulgarian households on food in 2016 accounted for about 30.8 per cent of spending – which was about 5.8 percentage points less than in 2008.
Comparing spending in 2015 and 2016, the NSI’s figures showed that buying of meat was largely unchanged – 32.6kg in 2015 and 32.5kg in 2016.
But consumption of milk had dropped from 18.5 litres to 17.3 litres, while consumption of yoghurt was up, from 25.8kg to 27.5kg.
At the same time, between 2008 and 2016, spending on mainly electricity and fuel had pushed up spending on housing needs by 1.5 times.
The NSI said that the purchasing power of Bulgarian households increased for almost all kinds of food from 2008 to 2016. Notably increased were purchasing power in relation to eggs, pork, apples, white bread and sugar, according to the NSI.
(Photo: Irina Ignatova)
/Panorama