Albanian families with the highest expenses for bread and food in Europe, in relation to income

Albanian families continued to hold the record of spending on bread and cereals in Europe for 2021 as well, according to updated Eurostat data. In an indicator of poverty, nominal expenditure on bread and cereals for 2021 was as much as 4.3% of the Gross Domestic Product (income of the economy in a year), from 1.1% which is the average of the European Union.

Since the income is low, a family first spends on the necessary things, such as food or bread, and then can think about other expenses. After Albania, Mali i ZI is ranked, with 3.4% of GDP, Bosnia, with 3.2%, Romania with 2.9%.

In Europe, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, etc. spend less on bread and cereals in relation to GDP, with less than 1% of GDP. (see chart: Nominal Expenditure on Bread and Cereals to GDP, 2021).

One third of the GDP goes to food

Even for the "Food and non-alcoholic beverages" group, Albania still holds a record in relation to income.

Yes, according to Eurostat, almost a third of the income generated by the local economy in a year goes to food. According to Eurostat, the nominal expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages, in relation to GDP, in 2021 for Albania was 31.6% of GDP, from 7.1%, which is this indicator for the average of the European Union.
The second country after Albania, Montenegro, has this indicator of 23.7%.

Again, in the Nordic countries, which also have the highest per capita income, food costs do not cost more than 5% of GDP. (See chart: Nominal expenditure on food and non-alcoholic beverages, to GDP, 2021).

Low income and prices among the most expensive in the region

Të ardhurat e ulëta dhe çmimet relativisht të larta janë arsyet kryesore se pse familjet shqiptare shpenzojnë një pjesë të konsiderueshme të të ardhurave për tu ushqyer.

Sipas statistikave të Eurostat, çmimet mesatare të ushqimeve dhe pijeve alkoolike në Shqipëri janë sa 83.3% e mesatares së Bashkimit Europian, duke u renditur e dyta më e shtrenjtë në rajon, pas Serbisë (85.5%).

Të dhënat i referohen vitit 2021. Më e lira në rajon është Maqedonia e Veriut, me 64.4% të mesatares europiane, Bosnjë Hercegovina (78.8), Kosova (80.6%), Mali i Zi (82.2%).

Në të kundërt, paga mesatare në Shqipëri është më e ulëta në rajon. Në shtator 2022, paga mesatare mujore bruto në Shqipëri ishte rreth 520 euro, ose rreth 40% më e ulët se në Serbi, ku paga mesatare arriti në 880 euro/muaj në të njëjtën periudhë.

In 2020, when the latest data is available for Albania, a typical family spent 43.6% of the total on food, up from 14.3% in Europe. Even in relation to the region, Albania has the highest share of expenditure on food.

For North Macedonia, the indicator is around 31%, for Bosnia and Herzegovina 29.5%, for Serbia around 24%, for Montenegro 24.6%, according to Eurostat (year 2019). Even for Kosovo, the indicator is lower than 40%./Monitor