The pie charts illustrate the household expenditure in the UK and New Zealand in the years 1980 and 2008, divided into five categories: food & drink, utility bills, transport, leisure, and other expenses.
Overall, it can be seen that there were some changes in the proportion of spending across the different categories over the period, with transport and utility bills generally taking a larger share, while spending on food & drink decreased slightly.
In 1980, the largest portion of UK households’ spending was on transport at 27%, followed by utility bills at 26% and food & drink at 23%. Leisure accounted for 15% and other expenses 9%. By 2008, transport spending increased to 34%, becoming the most significant category, while food & drink dropped to 13%. Utility bills rose slightly to 28%, leisure remained almost the same at 14%, and other expenses increased marginally to 11%.
For New Zealand, in 1980, food & drink was the highest category at 29%, followed by utility bills at 27% and transport at 17%. Leisure and other expenses made up 18% and 9%, respectively. By 2008, utility bills became the largest category at 31%, while food & drink decreased to 25%. Transport spending grew slightly to 16%, leisure reduced to 17%, and other expenses stayed at 11%.
In conclusion, both countries experienced a rise in transport and utility bills over the period, while food & drink generally declined. Leisure and other expenses remained relatively stable in both countries.