Average household budgets

Expenditures of ordinary families registered fast-paced growth up to 1990, the peak of the Bubble Economy. Since then they have remained stable at high levels, but they have decreased for four years in a row. A breakdown of expenditures reveals that outlays for food are the biggest single item; however, outlays for "transportation and communication," and "culture and entertainment" also account for large portions of total household expenditures. Here too, Japan has distinguishing characteristics: the proportion of the household budget for housing expenses is high, and expenditures for information/communications have been showing striking growth in recent years.