One in five Singapore households can’t make ends meet. The poorest 20 per cent continue to earn less than they have to spend.
This was not mentioned by the Straits Times and Today though they both quoted the Household Expenditure Survey.
“Household incomes up, with bottom 20 per cent seeing fastest rises,” said the Straits Times front-page headline.
What went unsaid was, their incomes had still not caught up with their expenditures.
This is mentioned in the survey report — not in the executive summary, but deeper inside.
Nearly a quarter of the poorest 20 per cent are retiree households, where nobody works and everyone is aged 60 or more. So their income is not likely to rise significantly.
Look closely at the report, available on the Department of Statistics website, and you will see these figures.
The average monthly income for the poorest 20 per cent households in 2012/13 was 2,022 Singapore dollars (about $1,600)– and their average monthly expenditure, 2,231 Singapore dollars.
“The monthly household expenditure… for the lowest 20 per cent income group exceeded their income,” the report acknowledged.
But, yes, they were better off than they were in 2007/8 when their average monthly income was S$1,466 and their expenditure, S$1,787. Government aid has reduced the gap between their income and expenditure, as the survey report says.
Average monthly household income
Average monthly household expenditure
So, yes, things were looking up for the poorest 20 per cent households, as the Straits Times economics editor noted, adding nearly 90 per cent of them now have mobile phones, almost 40 per cent watch cable television, and nearly half have internet subscriptions and access.
The income gap has narrowed, the economics editor noted. The top 2o per cent now earned “more than 12, 13 times” as much as the poorest 20 per cent. Five years earlier, they earned “more than 13 times” as much.
But the fact remains the poor can’t make ends meet while the household expenditure of the rich is only a fraction of their income.
The richest 20 per cent households’ average monthly expenditure? Only 30 per cent of their income. Their average monthly household income was S$24,544 and their average monthly expenditure, just S$7,568.
The Straits Times reported, quoting the official survey, that the less rich living in Housing Board apartments saw their incomes go up faster than the rich living in condos and other upscale properties. Here are the average monthly household incomes and expenditures of the various income groups.
| Quintile | Income | Expenditure |
| 1st-20th | S$2,022 | S$2,231 |
| 21st-40th | S$5,299 | S$3,536 |
| 41st-60th | S$8,378 | S$4,699 |
| 61st-80th | S$12,270 | S$5,590 |
| 81st-100th | S$24,544 | S$7,568 |
Compare those figures with the situation five years ago. Here are the average monthly household incomes and expenditures from 2007/8.
| Quintile | Income | Expenditure |
| 1st-20th | S$1,466 | S$1,787 |
| 21st-40th | S$3,934 | S$2,950 |
| 41st-60th | S$6,175 | S$3,602 |
| 61st-80th | S$9,439 | S$4,569 |
| 81st-100th | SS19,511 | S$6,138 |
Mind you, these figures don’t give the complete picture. The survey report makes it clear what it means by household expenditure: The money spent on housing, food, transport, recreation, education, health, communication and various consumer goods and services. But the money paid towards loan repayments, income taxes and purchase of houses is not included in household expenditure. So one’s actual financial outgoings may be higher.
