The table compares the average percentage of household income spent on food in five different countries between 1950 and 2000, at ten-year intervals.
Overall, there was a clear downward trend in food expenditure across all five nations over the 50-year period, with the only exception being Mexico, where the figure rose slightly in the final decade. Among the countries surveyed, the United States consistently recorded the lowest proportion of income spent on food.
In 1950, households in Japan and the United States spent 30.6% and 20.6% of their income on food, respectively. By 2000, these figures had dropped sharply to 7.4% and 6.2%, representing almost a two-thirds reduction. Notably, Japan’s figure, which was initially higher than Mexico’s, converged with it around 1970 before falling below in subsequent decades.
France and Korea displayed similar patterns. In 1950, their food expenditure stood at around 30% and 29%, respectively. Both countries saw a modest increase in 1960, reaching roughly 31%, before the proportions steadily declined to approximately 10% for France and 8% for Korea by 2000.
Mexico was the only country to experience a reversed trend. Although it started with one of the lowest percentages at 28.7%, spending rose steadily after 1980. By 1990, the figure had overtaken those of Japan, Korea, and France, and reached its peak at 24.9% in 2000 – the highest among all five nations.