Rural Urban Food Consumption Analysis in Pakistan: Expenditure Elasticities Approach

The rural urban food consumption patterns are estimated and compared in Pakistan in the present study. The Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIEs), 1998-99 data published by the Federal Bureau of Statistics, Islamabad is used. The rural urban food consumption analysis at household level is carried out by dividing the households into five income groups at national and provincial levels. The expenditure elasticities of different food groups are estimated across the different income levels to know the differences among the rural urban household food consumption. The results of the study indicate that rural and urban households have different food consumption patterns. However, households in the low level income groups spend a larger fraction of their income on wheat, pulses and vegetable while high income groups on rice, meat and fish, milk and milk products both in rural and urban areas.