Band 9: The charts below show the percentage of household income spent on four categories (Food, Housing, Transportation, and Entertainment) in two countries, Malaysia and Germany, in 2020.

The bar chart compares how family budgets were allocated to four categories – housing, food, transport and leisure – in Malaysia and Germany in 2020.

Overall, households in Malaysia devoted a higher proportion of their budgets to all categories than those in Germany. In both countries, housing accounted for the largest share of expenditure, whereas leisure consistently represented the smallest proportion.

In Malaysia, a significant percentage of household income was allocated to necessities. Housing made up the largest share, at approximately 35%, followed by food at around 30%. By contrast, discretionary spending was lower, with transport accounting for about 27% of total expenditure, while leisure comprised only around 17%.

Germany displayed a similar but more moderate spending pattern. Housing again recorded the highest proportion, at roughly 23%, whereas leisure remained the least significant category, at approximately 15%. Transport ranked second, representing about 22% of household budgets, followed closely by food at just over 21%.