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Table 10 shows the budget shares for each category of goods and services using both the standardized and national consumption aggregates. Maldivian households only spend 37% of consumption expenditures on food, on average, and 53% on nonfood nondurables.17 Households in the remaining countries spend between 44% and 59% of their consumption expenditures on food and somewhere between 18% and 29% on nonfood nondurables. Except for India, all South Asian countries spend around 10% of their consumption expenditures on health, education, and durable goods combined, with India spending at a slightly higher rate of 12%. Housing, which includes rent, imputed rent (if included in the national consumption aggregate), and expenditures on utilities range widely from a low of 6% in Nepal to a high of 33% in Maldives.

Table 10. 

Budget Shares by Category of Goods and Services (%)

BangladeshIndia
AllRuralUrbanBhutanAllRuralUrbanMaldivesNepalPakistanSri Lanka
20102010201020122011–2012200920102011–20122012–2013
National consumption expenditure        
Food 58 61 53 45 51 54 46 37 57 52 45 
Nonfood nondurables 19 19 20 28 25 24 27 53 27 21 25 
Health 
Education 
Durable goods <1 
Housing 14 13 18 19 13 12 16 33 21 22 
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
Standardized consumption aggregate        
Food 57 59 52 44 46 51 34 29 53 48 50 
Nonfood nondurables 20 20 20 30 28 28 28 28 20 23 24 
Health 
Education 
Durable goods 12 
Housing 14 13 19 19 17 12 29 21 21 18 
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
BangladeshIndia
AllRuralUrbanBhutanAllRuralUrbanMaldivesNepalPakistanSri Lanka
20102010201020122011–2012200920102011–20122012–2013
National consumption expenditure        
Food 58 61 53 45 51 54 46 37 57 52 45 
Nonfood nondurables 19 19 20 28 25 24 27 53 27 21 25 
Health 
Education 
Durable goods <1 
Housing 14 13 18 19 13 12 16 33 21 22 
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 
Standardized consumption aggregate        
Food 57 59 52 44 46 51 34 29 53 48 50 
Nonfood nondurables 20 20 20 30 28 28 28 28 20 23 24 
Health 
Education 
Durable goods 12 
Housing 14 13 19 19 17 12 29 21 21 18 
Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 

Notes: India's consumption aggregates reported are based on the Uniform Recall Period.

Source: Authors’ estimates based on South Asia Harmonized Micro Dataset (accessed September 15, 2017).

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