The pie charts illustrate the average household expenditures in Japan and Malaysia in 2010, divided into five categories: housing, transport, food, health care, and other goods and services.
Overall, it is clear that while households in Malaysia spent the largest proportion of their income on housing, Japanese households allocated the greatest share to other goods and services. Food expenditure was significant in both countries, whereas health care accounted for the smallest proportion in each case.
In Malaysia, housing dominated household spending at 34%, followed by food at 27%. Other goods and services and transport took up smaller shares, at 26% and 10% respectively, while health care represented only 3% of total expenditure.
In contrast, Japanese households showed a different spending pattern. The largest portion of their budget was spent on other goods and services (29%), slightly more than the 24% allocated to food. Housing and transport also accounted for substantial shares, at 21% and 20% respectively. Health care, although still the smallest category, was more significant in Japan (6%) compared with Malaysia (3%).
In summary, housing was the most dominant expense in Malaysia, whereas other goods and services led household spending in Japan. Additionally, Japanese families devoted a higher proportion of their expenditure to health care than their Malaysian counterparts