Data from the Family Budget Survey (IOF), released on Wednesday in Maputo by the National Statistics Institute (INE) indicate that, in 2022, each Mozambican family spent an average of 8,661 meticais per month, which means an increase of 6.8% compared to 2020.

According to the survey, this performance was mainly influenced by households living in rural areas, which went from an average monthly expenditure of 5,741 meticais in 2019/2020 to 6,680 meticais in 2022.

The IOF also reveals that the average monthly expenditure for each household living in the urban area remained practically unchanged, at just over 12,500 meticais.

In national terms, the data shows that the province of Cabo Delgado, affected in the last five years by terrorist attacks that have displaced more than a million people, had the lowest average monthly expenditure per family, equivalent to 5,213 meticais (74.40 euros), while those in the provinces of Maputo, Manica, Sofala, as well as the capital, Maputo, spent "above the national average".

However, despite leading the way, the average monthly expenditure of each household in Maputo city continues to fall, according to the IOF indicator, from 25,912 meticais in 2015 to 19,664 meticais in 2020 and 17,076 meticais last year.

In terms of the national average, the biggest expense for each Mozambican family was food and non-alcoholic drinks, with 3,358 meticais per month, followed by housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, with 1,489 meticais per month, and transport, with 980 meticais.

At national level, the data also shows that, in general, the structure of income remained the same between 2020 and 2022, with the main source of income for households being their salaries (36.4%), followed by the value of self-consumption (25.1%) and sales of products produced by the family (20.4%).