The bar graph compares the average prices per kilometre of clothing imported into the European Union from six different nations – namely, Argentina, Brazil, Japan, China, India, and Bangladesh – in 1997 and 2003. Overall, the chart is led by Argentina, as it was the furthest country from Europe, and it was followed by Brazil. Asian countries, by contrast, recorded relatively lower figures than American nations. Most notably, every Asian country saw growth in the prices per kilometre of clothing imported, with the exception of Japan. Although a similar trend to Japan was seen in Argentina, it still recorded by far the largest figures in terms of prices per kilometre of clothing imported. Brazil, on the other hand, remained relatively stable by 2003.
The countries that registered a rise included countries in Asia – China, India, and Bangladesh. Starting at 10 and 7 pounds in 1997, the prices per kilometre of clothing imported into the EU from China and India increased noticeably to 17 and 12 pounds by 2003, respectively. Bangladesh, exhibiting the lowest figure of 3 pounds in the starting year, grew to 7 pounds by the end of the period.
A completely different pattern was observed in Argentina and Japan. Representing the highest figure of 27 pounds in 1997, Argentina saw a decline of 2 percentage points, falling to 25 pounds in 2003. An identical pattern is recorded in Japan. There was a decrease of 2 percentage points, from 15 pounds in 1997 to 13 pounds in 2003.
Brazil, in stark contrast, remained relatively stable at 23 pounds throughout the period.