The bar chart compares government expenditure on roads and transport in four countries – Portugal, Italy, the UK and the USA – over a 15-year period from 1990 to 2005.
Overall, Portugal consistently allocated the largest share of public spending to transportation, whereas the UK remained the lowest spender throughout the period. A notable feature is the narrowing gap between Portugal and Italy, as Italy’s expenditure rose steadily to match Portugal’s level by the end of the timeframe.
At the start of the period, Portugal was clearly the leading country in terms of transport investment, spending a substantially higher proportion than the other three nations. Italy ranked second, although its figures were noticeably lower initially. Over time, however, Italy experienced a sustained increase, eventually converging with Portugal in the final year.
By contrast, both the UK and the USA devoted relatively modest proportions of their budgets to roads and transport. While their spending levels were comparable for much of the period, the USA showed a slight upward trend towards 2005, overtaking the UK. Consequently, the UK finished the period with the lowest expenditure among the four countries.