Ukrainians spent over 60% of their income on food: the State Statistics Service responded that the statistical pause during the war hides something
28 February 08:12
EXCLUSIVE
The share of Ukrainian households’ spending on food traditionally remains one of the highest in Europe. In recent pre-war years, it has even increased. At the same time, due to the full-scale war, the state has lost the ability to conduct selective surveys, and there is currently no data for 2022–2025. This was stated in response to a request from
Over 59% in 2012 and over 60% in 2014
According to the results of the state statistical survey “Survey of Household Living Conditions” (OUZHD), the share of spending on food products (food and non-alcoholic beverages) in the structure of total consumer spending was:
- 2012 — 59.1%
- 2014 — 60.3%
“According to the results of the state statistical survey “Survey of Household Living Conditions,” the share of household spending on food products in total consumer spending was 59.1% in 2012 and 60.3% in 2014,” said Ihor Honchar.
The increase in 2014 occurred against the backdrop of the economic crisis, the devaluation of the hryvnia, and the start of the war. During periods of falling incomes and rising prices, households are forced to spend most of their budget on basic needs, primarily food.
Why there is no data for 2022–2025
There is no information on the share of food expenditures for 2022–2025.
The reason is the suspension of selective population surveys after the start of the full-scale invasion.
“Starting in February 2022, state statistics agencies did not conduct selective population (household) surveys, in particular the OUZH, as a result of which there is no information for 2022–2025 based on its results,” said the deputy head of the State Statistics Service.
The reason for this was the adoption of the Law of Ukraine “On the Protection of the Interests of Entities Submitting Reports and Other Documents during Martial Law or a State of War,” which allowed statistical reports not to be submitted during martial law.
At the same time, the State Statistics Service emphasizes that, according to the methodology, if the data is not received in full, the indicators are not assessed. In other words, no estimates or model assessments were made for these years.
What changed in 2025: a new survey format
The implementation plan of Resolution No. 989 of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine provides for the introduction of a European approach to data collection — the EU-SILC (Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) survey.
In this regard:
- from 2025, the OUZHZ has been renamed the “Household Budget Survey”;
- the list of questions has been shortened;
- some of the indicators will be harmonized with European methodology.
However, the actual resumption of sample surveys became possible only after changes to the legislation.
“On July 5, 2025, amendments (Law No. 4505-IX of June 18, 2025) came into force, allowing for the resumption of sample surveys of the population in 2026,” said Ihor Honchar.
When will the new figures appear?
The first data after the resumption of information collection will appear no earlier than mid-2027.
“Information on the structure of household expenditures for 2026 will be published in June 2027 on the official website of the State Statistics Service,” the agency said.
Thus, at least a five-year period (2022–2025) will remain a “statistical gap” without official indicators of the structure of expenditures.
What this means for the economy
A high share of food expenditures traditionally indicates:
- low income levels among the population;
- limited opportunities for savings;
- household vulnerability to inflation.
For comparison: in EU countries, the share of food expenditures averages between 10% and 20%. In Ukraine, even in the pre-war years, it exceeded 59%–60%.
The lack of data for the period of full-scale war complicates the analysis of the real level of well-being of the population and the scale of the food burden on family budgets. Given the inflation of 2022–2023, it can be assumed that the share of food expenditures may have increased, but there is currently no official confirmation of this.
The statistics are based on a state sample survey of households — the “Survey of Household Living Conditions” (until 2024), which will be transformed into the “Survey of Household Budgets” in 2025.
The methodology involves surveying a representative sample of households about their income and expenditure.
Thus, Ukraine entered the war with an already high share of food expenditures — over 60% in the crisis year of 2014. The full-scale invasion led not only to an economic shock but also to the loss of key socio-economic data. Full statistics are expected to return only with the results for 2026 — in 2027. And it is these figures that will show how much the consumption structure of Ukrainian families has changed during the years of the great war.
