The provided bar chart illustrates the changes in the spending pattern of average families in a particular country between 1968 and 2018.
Overall, there were substantial shifts in the expenditure distribution of families from 1968 to 2018. Notably, food expenditure decreased significantly, while housing and leisure expenses saw remarkable increases.
In 1968, food accounted for the highest proportion of families’ weekly income at nearly 35%, but by 2018, this percentage had dropped to approximately 15%. Conversely, housing costs surged from around 15% to over 25%, and leisure expenditure more than doubled to about 22% in 2018. Additionally, transport expenses also experienced a significant upturn, rising from approximately 10% in 1968 to over 30% in 2018. On the other hand, expenditure on household goods remained relatively stable at around 7% in both years, while clothing and footwear, fuel and power, and personal goods all stayed below 10% in both 1968 and 2018.
Moreover, in 1968, none of the categories, except for food, exceeded 10% of the weekly income. However, by 2018, leisure and housing emerged as the highest expenses, comprising approximately 22% and 19% of the family income, respectively. In contrast, clothing and footwear, fuel and power, and personal goods all witnessed a decrease to not more than 5% of the weekly income in 2018.
