The chart illustrates how governments in 4 countries invested in the transport infrastructure between 1990 and 2005.
Overall, there was a decrease in the proportion of government spending on roads and transports in 4 countries, with Portugal witnessing the most dramatic drop. In addition, Portugal consistently had the highest figures throughout the period.
The share of the government’s budget spent on roads and transport in Portugal started at about 27%, after which it experienced a decline to exactly 20% in 1995, before ending the period at around 16%. Similarly, the figure for Italy fell from accurately 20% in 1990 to 13% in 2000, then slightly rose to 14% in 2005.
The figure for the UK fell from just over 11% in 1990 to 7% in 2005, despite a significant fall in the period from 1995 to 2000. Approximately 13% of the American national budget was spent on the transport infrastructure, with subsequent fluctuations and a final decline to about 12% in the last year of the period examined.