What households in each country spend on food

[riverine]

Americans spend just 6.4% of their household income on food. That’s according to the latest figures compiled by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Generally speaking, the more developed a country is, the smaller the percentage of household income it spends on food, as this map shows.

There are only eight countries in the world that spend less than 10% of their household income on food. Four of these are in Europe: the UK is third at 8.2%, followed by Switzerland at 8.7%; Ireland spends 9.6% and Austria 9.9%.

The remaining four countries are spread across the globe. The US spends the least at 6.4%, Singapore spends the second lowest amount at 6.7%. Canada spends 9.1% on food, while Australia spends 9.8%.

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/12/this-map-shows-how-much-each-country-spends-on-food/

[madville]

1. I'm probably at around 3% for just myself

and can also keep things simple since it's just me. I spend about $70 a week at the grocery store.

[Kaleva]

6. I spend less then you but it takes up %15 of my monthly income

I have a budget of $200 a month for food but with an income of $1192 from SSDI and $140 from a VA pension, the percentage of my monthly income going for food is several times higher.

[Progressive dog]

2. That does not agree with what USDA says.

Households spend more money on food when incomes rise, but food represents a smaller portion of income as they allocate additional funds to other goods. In 2017, households in the middle income quintile spent an average of $7,061 on food, representing 14.3 percent of income, while the lowest income households spent $4,070 on food, representing 34.1 percent of income.

https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/food-prices-and-spending/

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. No, it does; the figures in your paragraph are for food eaten at both home and elsewhere

The figures in the OP are for "food that was consumed at home". The USDA paragraph above yours puts that at 5.2% for 2016 for the USA (4.7% for food away from home). There may be a small difference due to the definitions of 'household income' and 'disposable personal income' (and it's one year different) that explains the 6.4% v. 5.2%, but they're in the same area.

[Progressive dog]

7. Actually, food is food no matter where

it is consumed. Obviously, money can be saved by only consuming food at home and only buying minimally processed food,
The OP is misleading.

[DFW]

4. Here in Germany, food is expensive

We nonetheless prefer to buy our food from the (generally) more expensive farmer's market which has been held in our town in the main square three times a week for the last 750 years or so. This over the supermarkets, where the quality of the food is more hit-and-miss.

I'm surprised at the small statistic for Switzerland. Restaurants there are outrageously expensive, and I would have though eating at home would have been more the norm, although food in the stores is expensive, too. I know the guy in my Geneva office rarely eats out unless it's work-related.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

5. More than anything, this is telling of which nation eats out the most.

Eating out is like a national obsession in much of America and a middle/lower class symbol of success (or high debt).

As Muriel_volestrangler explained above, these numbers are for foods purchased for consumption at home from retail grocery outlets. We also have a relatively efficient food transport chain via rail and trucks, making all sorts of foods available in KY that are from Central and South America, for example, and they are inexpensive.

As climate change takes charge and natural resources diminish, this whole structure will change and those that can produce locally will win the survival lottery.

KY............