SEOUL, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's household income kept growing for the fifth successive quarter owing to higher earned income and a rapid increase in property income, statistical office data showed Thursday.

On a nominal basis, the monthly average income per household with one or more family members rose 4.4 percent from a year earlier to 5,255,000 won (3,760 U.S. dollars) in the July-September quarter, according to Statistics Korea.

It maintained an upward trend for the fifth consecutive quarter since the third quarter of last year.

The nominal earned income gained 3.3 percent to 3,329,000 won (2,380 dollars) in the third quarter, lower than an expansion of 3.9 percent in the previous quarter.

The property income surged 51.8 percent in the third quarter on a yearly basis, faster than a growth of 29.5 percent in the prior quarter.

The business income added 0.3 percent to 987,000 won (710 dollars), while the transfer income climbed 7.7 percent to 784,000 won (560 dollars).

The real household income, adjusted for inflation, advanced 2.3 percent in the third quarter compared to the same quarter of last year amid the slower headline inflation.

The monthly average expenditure per household increased 2.7 percent over the year to 3,975,000 won (2,850 dollars) in the third quarter.

The consumption expenditure swelled 3.5 percent to 2,907,000 won (2,080 dollars), while the inflation-adjusted real consumption expenditure went up 1.4 percent in the cited quarter.

On a nominal basis, expenditure on housing, water, light, heat, lodging, eating-out, health, leisure and culture gained ground, while expense on transport, communication, education, clothing and footwear retreated in single digits.

Non-consumption expenditure, which includes the payment of tax, social insurance premium and interest cost, went up 0.5 percent over the year to 1,068,000 won (760 dollars) in the third quarter.

The interest payment dwindled 9.9 percent in the third quarter after sliding 4.8 percent in the previous quarter, but the payment of recurring taxes mounted 5.9 percent in the July-September quarter.

The monthly average disposable income per household, or nominal income minus non-consumption expenditure, picked up 5.5 percent from a year earlier to 4,188,000 won (3,000 dollars) in the third quarter.

The average consumption propensity among households, which measures the ratio of consumption expenditure to disposable income, was down 1.3 percentage points to 69.4 percent.

Income disparity among households remained wide in the cited quarter.

The monthly average income for households in the bottom 20-percent income bracket rose 5.4 percent to 1,182,000 won (850 dollars), while income for households in the top 20-percent income group grew 6.5 percent to 11,543,000 won (8,270 dollars).

The monthly average expenditure for households in the bottom bracket gained 4.8 percent to 1,296,000 won (930 dollars), while expenditure by the top group added 2.5 percent to 5,045,000 won (3,610 dollars). Enditem

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