Consumption and Expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa

Leandro de Magalhaes, Dongya Koh and Raül Santaeulàlia-Llopis

Bristol Economics Discussion Papers from School of Economics, University of Bristol, UK

Abstract: Using novel micro data we explore the lifecycle profiles of consumption and expenditure in Sub-Saharan Africa. Adult-equivalent expenditure shows a hump over the lifecycle that is twice larger in urban areas than in rural areas. In contrast to expenditure, consumption (measured in caloric intake) remains relatively stable across ages in both rural and urban areas, including in old age. Interestingly, consumption in old age is sustained by the increasing role of self-farmed food over the lifecycle, as opposed to traditional savings mechanisms. The specialization in self-farmed staple food leads to a nutritional loss.

Keywords: Consumption; Expenditure; Sub-Saharan Africa; Lifecycle; Self-Farming; Nutritional Loss (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E21 O11 R20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 35 pages.
Date: 2016-09-13, Revised 2016-10-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mac
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bri:uobdis:16/677

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