HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURES AS AN INDICATOR OF LIVING STANDARDS
HOUSEHOLD EXPENDITURES AS AN INDICATOR OF LIVING STANDARDS

Summary/Abstract: Expenditures are one of the fundamental indicators of living standards and quality of life. According to Maslow, human needs can be divided into basic and higher-order needs. The structure of expenditures and its changes allow for the identification of economic and social differences between social groups. The study covered the period 2004-2023. The main indicators are the level, structure and relations of expenditures. Households of basic socio-economic groups and by place of residence (rural and urban) were compared. The study showed convergence of the standard of living of rural and urban inhabitants and of farmers and other groups of households. Convergence was primarily the result of a higher dynamics of growth of expenditure of rural inhabitants than of urban inhabitants and of farmers compared to other groups of households. However, significant differences in the expenditure structure remained, with agricultural households characterized by a higher share of basic expenditures, such as food.

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