Indonesian Households Allocate 50.32% of Their Spending to Food

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded that the average monthly per capita expenditure of Indonesian residents in September 2022 was Rp1,392,992.

Of this amount, Rp700,966 or 50.32% was spent on food commodities. Meanwhile, Rp692,026 was spent on non-food commodities.

This figure increased by 2.07% compared to the previous year (year-on-year/yoy), which was 49.30% in September 2021.

"The increase in the average per capita expenditure of the population is suspected to be caused by the increase in commodity prices in the market, both food and non-food commodities," wrote BPS in its report.

When viewed based on regional disaggregation, the average expenditure of urban residents is higher than that of rural areas.

The average monthly food expenditure in urban areas reached 46.97% or Rp1,610,228.

Meanwhile, in rural areas, household food expenditure reached 57.06% or Rp1,095,889.

BPS also explained that the food expenditure share is the ratio of expenditure on food purchases to the total household expenditure for one month.

This information can illustrate the population's welfare concerning food security. Food security will improve if the monthly food expenditure of the population decreases.

(Also read: Indonesia's Food Security is Considered Quite Strong in ASEAN)