The two bar charts compare the percentage of overall spending allocated to six distinct commodities and services — including holidays, clothing, dining out, electronics, print media, and cinema — in a European country in 1998 and 2008.
Overall, the proportion of spending on clothing and electronic goods rose over the ten-year period, with electronic goods keeping the largest spending category by the end of the period, while other categories experienced a decline, except for eating out, which remained unchanged.
In terms of rising expenditure, the most noticeable increases were seen in spending on clothing and electronic goods over the decade. The proportion of spending on clothing grew significantly from 12% in 1998 to 18% in 2008, representing a 6% increase. Similarly, electronic goods saw a notable rise, increasing from 16% to 20%, making it the category with the highest share of consumer spending by 2008.
In contrast, several categories witnessed a decline in consumer spending during the same period. Holiday-related expenditure dropped from 8% in 1998 to 5% in 2008, indicating a reduced interest in travel or leisure. Similarly, spending on newspapers and magazines halved, falling from 3% to just 1%, and the proportion of people going to the cinema also declined from 3% to 1%. Meanwhile, expenditure on eating out remained unchanged at 6%, suggesting stable consumer habits in this area despite fluctuations in other categories.