Over the past five years, there has been a noticeable increase in the main indicators of the standard of living of the population in the social sphere of the state. Thus, from 2009 to 2013, the average per capita monetary income of the population, according to the sample survey of household budgets, increased by 1.4 times. In 2013, the monetary income of the urban population exceeded that of rural residents by 1.3 times, amounting to 3978.85 and 3002.5 soms per month per capita, respectively. The distribution of the total volume of monetary income among the 20-percent quintile groups of the population favors the fifth group (with the highest incomes), which accounts for 51.0 percent of all monetary income, while the first 20-percent group (with the lowest incomes) received only 4.4 percent of all income.
The level of welfare of the population is also characterized by the availability of durable goods for cultural, household, and economic purposes. This indicator indirectly reflects the welfare level of households and their monetary income over a specific period. According to the survey, in 2013, on average, there were 110 televisions, 103 refrigerators, 65 washing machines, 25 tape recorders, and 33 vacuum cleaners per 100 households. One in five households owns a passenger car and nearly two mobile phones. Half of all cultural and household items had a lifespan of up to 10 years, including computing equipment, radio and television equipment, and household appliances. Durable goods, such as furniture and vehicles, have a lifespan of more than 10 years.
The minimum consumption norms for food products and the structure of the subsistence minimum for the main socio-demographic groups of the population of the Kyrgyz Republic were approved by the Resolution of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic dated November 6, 2009, No. 694. In the structure of the subsistence minimum, expenditures on food products accounted for 65 percent, non-food products - 16 percent, services - 17 percent, and taxes - 2 percent. The subsistence minimum in 2013 amounted to 4599.21 soms on average per capita per month, which is an increase of 5.9 percent compared to 2012, and it increased 1.4 times compared to 2009. The main share of the subsistence minimum was the cost of the food basket (2989.51 soms). At the same time, changes in the subsistence minimum depend on fluctuations in the prices of basic food products.