FORTY-four per cent of Egyptian families believe their income is not enough to cover their monthly needs, says a recent survey of Egyptian Family Spending Patterns by the Cabinet Information and Decision Support Centre. The survey shows that while the Egyptian family's average monthly income is LE1,688, the average monthly family expenditure is LE1,444. The figures are based on another survey conducted by the Observatory of Egyptian Family Conditions carried out in October 2010. The 2008/09 figures show that 44 per cent of expenditure goes to food and drink in Egypt, while families in the UK and China spend least on food and drink, as they spend 9.7 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. For Egyptians, meat takes up 25.9 per cent of spending on food and drink with an average LE165 monthly. It is followed by bread with 16 per cent and vegetables with 14 per cent. About 14.4 per cent of Egyptian families make an annual income that falls short of LE10,000 while 13.1 per cent get LE30,000 or more annually, said the survey. Also, more than half of the families get an annual income of between LE10,000 and LE20,000. Cultural and entertainment products get least spending with 2.1 per cent and 3.4 per cent respectively. This compares to 11.2 per cent in Britain and 6.8 per cent in Spain. When ends do not meet, 51.5 per cent of the families rationalise their spending while 35.4 per cent receive help from their families. The survey shows that salaries and wages made up around 58 per cent of families' income in 2008/09 followed by non- agricultural projects with around 23 per cent and agricultural projects with around 20 per cent. It also showed that spending on health increased the most by 147 per cent during the period from 2004/05 to 2008/09. Spending on food and drink increased by 53 per cent during the same period. Clothing and shoes saw the least increase in spending with only 10.7 per cent. Spending on telephone bills was also an essential part of family spending. With 77 per cent of Egyptian families owning mobile phones while 41 per cent owning land lines, LE46 is the average monthly spent on mobile phones while LE107 is the average value of the quarterly landline bill, according to October 2011 figures.
