The average annual income per household member in 2011 was 3 937 BGN or 3.3% more compared to 2010. Main part of the income - 96.1% was received as current revenue from wages, pensions, social assistance benefits, child allowances as well as from entrepreneurship and sales of property. The rest of the total income (3.9%) was due to loans, credits and savings.
Wages continue to be the main source of the households’ income. The wages represented 51.8% of the total household income in 2011 as compared to 50.9% in 2010.
Nominal household income from wages increased. In 2011 the households had at their disposal BGN 1 960 average per person, while in 2010 this income was BGN 1 857 or the income from wages increased by 5.5%.
Decrease of the share of pensions was observed in 2011. Social transfers (pensions, family allowances for children, scholarships and unemployment benefits, etc.) represented 33.3% of the total annual household income per household member in 2011, compared to 34.2% in 2010.
The tendency of decrease of the share of household plot within the total household income continues. It represented 19.7% in 2002, 13.4% in 2005 and only 1.7% in 2011.
Household expenditure
Bulgarian households spent BGN 3 494 per person, which is 6.6% more than in 2010. The main part (85-86%) traditionally was spent on satisfaction of necessities and 5.2% for taxes.
Share of expenditure on food within the total expenditure was 36.2%.
Share of expenditure on dwellings, water, electricity and fuels increased by 4.9% compared to 2010. Expenditure on health also increased (by 8.3%), on transport (by 4.1%) and on communication (by 5.9%).
The relative share of expenditure on dwellings, water, electricity and fuels into the total expenditure decreased by 0.2 percentage points (pp) as compared to 2010 and the expenditure on transport and communication decreased by 0.1 pp. Expenditure on health increased by 0.1 pp.
Share of expenditure on furniture, recreation, culture and education remained about 3-4%.
Expenditure on alcoholic beverages and tobacco was higher - 4-5%. Share of expenditure on clothing and shoes was 3.0% in 2011.
Household consumption
The long-term dynamics of the statistical data proves the changes in structure of consumption of the Bulgarian households. The consumption of bread and paste products decreased by 1.3 kg and in 2011 it was 106.7 kg on average per person.
The tendency of increase of the consumption of meat, fish and fish products, fruit and vegetables continues. For example, the consumption of meat average per person in 2011 was 32.1 kg, while in the beginning of the period – 1999, it was 23.3 kg. The consumption of fruits also increased from 42.2 kg in 1999 to 47.2 kg on average per person in 2011. The consumption of vegetables increased from 42.2 kg in 1999 to 47.2 kg on average per person in 2011. The consumption of milk, yoghurt and yellow cheese decreased most visibly in the last two years of the surveyed period.
Consumption of cigarettes decreased from 591 pieces in 2010 to 547 pieces in 2011. Consumption of alcoholic beverages also decreased from 26.3 litres in 2010 to 23.2 litres on average per person.
Source: National Statistical Institute