In January-February 2026, 49.4 percent of the funds spent in Azerbaijan's retail trade network were allocated to food products. What does this indicator signify? How consistent is it with international standards?
Economist Natiq Jafarli, speaking to Medianews.az on the topic, stated that this indicator has not changed for many years: "Half of the total funds are spent on food products. This is not such a good indicator. If we look at international studies, we see that in developed countries this indicator does not exceed 20 percent.
49.4 percent means that people are forced to spend half of their income on food, daily necessities. This highlights two issues. First, salaries and income levels are very low. Second, the price of food products does not correspond to people's income. In other words, it is expensive. Both issues have been among the main problems in Azerbaijan's economy for many years."
Nailə Qasımova,
Medianews.az