The Economist: The bare necessities
Where people spend most on food and fuel
THE soaring cost of food and fuel is a concern for the governments of rich and poor countries alike. Many households in Africa and Asia shell-out more on food and fuel as a share of total spending and so are disproportionately hit by rising prices. But in some poor countries fuel subsidies help to ease the pain.
One thing to note is that China and India (with about a third of the world population) are in the yellow group, not the 40% or higher. Most of Southeast Asia and Latin America are less than 40% as well. This was not the case just twenty years ago. In many of these regions, 60-75% would have been common. Thus, as bad as the problem is (and it is bad), it would be far worse had worldwide economic growth not happened.
Related: Why everything costs more
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