Spending on restaurants and hotels hit a historic high last year, showing that a growing number of people do not spend time in the kitchen, but eat at food stalls and restaurants, the latest Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) data on household expenditure showed.
Such spending accounted for 12 percent of all household expenditure last year, the highest since 1976, when it accounted for just 2.48 percent, statistics released last month showed.
The 12 percent represents about NT$97,000 in terms of the average sum spent by every household, DGBAS officials said.
Each household in the nation last year spent an average NT$812,000, most of which went to housing, electricity, water, gas and other fuels, accounting for 23.9 percent of the total, the statistics showed.
Expenditure on food, beverages and tobacco was second at 15.6 percent, followed by healthcare at 15.25 percent, transport and communication at 12.87 percent, and recreation, culture and education at 9.55 percent.
Miscellaneous goods and services accounted for 5.42 percent, clothing and footwear for 2.87 percent, and furnishings, household equipment and routine household maintenance for 2.55 percent.
The 15.6 percent expenditure on food, beverages and tobacco was the lowest since 1976, when it accounted for 42.27 percent of spending.
The decline in that category suggests the dining and drinking habits of Taiwanese have changed over the past four decades, officials said.
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