The chart below gives information about how families in one country spent their weekly income in 1968 and in 2018. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make relevant comparisons.
The bar chart illustrates families’ average weekly spending on different things in 1968 and 2018.
Overall, it is interesting to note that the proportion of expenditure on food was the maximum in the initial year. In contrast, the percentage of expenditure was low on fuel and power in the final year.
In 1968, Families spent almost 35% of their income on food. However, this figure was almost half in 2018, around 15%. The expenditure on housing was noted as 10%, almost doubling in 2018. Interestingly, the expenditure on household goods was almost equal in 1968 and 2008, which was recorded as 8%.
The expenditure on leisure activities was noted as 22% in 2018, almost two-fold more than in 1968. The expenditure on transport increased from 8% to 14% between 1968 and 2018. The expenses on footwear and clothing decreased from 10% to 5% between 1968 and 2018.
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The bar chart illustrates the evolving proportions of weekly average household expenditures in a specific country from 1968 to 2018.
Overall, over five decades, expenditure patterns underwent a significant shift. Food spending declined notably, while accommodation, transportation, and leisure saw an opposite trend, with leisure becoming the dominant expense.
In 1968, a substantial 35% of weekly household income was allocated to food, significantly surpassing combined spending on housing (10%) and clothing/footwear (10%). However, by 2018, this figure had plummeted to around 17%. Furthermore, other expenditure categories in 1968 remained below the 10% mark, with the lowest spending on fuel and power hovering at approximately 6%.
In stark contrast, housing and leisure emerged as the two leading expenditure categories in 2018, constituting 19% and 22% of weekly expenses, respectively. Additionally, transportation expenses saw a noteworthy increase, rising from a mere 8% of weekly income in 1968 to 16% in 2018. Conversely, spending on clothing/footwear, fuel and power, and personal goods experienced a more modest decline, hovering around 5% in the same year. It is worth noting that household goods expenditure remained consistent across both periods.
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