Band 9: The chart below gives information about the household percentage of spending on essential goods in China for the years 1995 and 2011. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

The pie chart depicted the distribution of Chinese household expenditures on four fundamental categories—food, clothing, medicine, and household goods—in 1995 and 2011. At first glance, it was apparent that the majority of the budget was allocated to food in both years, while the smallest proportion was dedicated to pharmaceutical drugs.

Analyzing the chart in greater detail, it was evident that over 68% of household budgets were spent on food in 1995. However, this expenditure experienced a modest decline of 9% by 2011. Notably, the expenditure on clothing remained relatively stable across both years, comprising approximately 12% of the budget, and constituted the second-largest category.

Comparatively, spending on household goods increased slightly from 9% in 1995 to 11% in 2011. In contrast, the allocation for medicine, which was the least significant in both periods, saw a substantial rise. In 1995, only 4% of the budget was spent on medicine, but by 2011, this figure had almost tripled, reaching approximately 12%.

Overall, while food continued to dominate household expenditures, there was a noticeable shift towards increased spending on medicine and household goods over the 16-year period.