Band 8+: The charts below show the proportion of people’s total spending on different commodities and services in a particular European country in 1998 and 2008. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where relevant.

The bar graph illustrates the total percentage of residents’ spending on different products and services in a particular country in 1998 and 2008.

Overall, both electronic goods and clothing were spent the most and saw increases in total spending rate in the two years examined, while the opposite pattern was true for going to the theatre and newspapers and magazines.

Regarding the expense categories with growth or stability, in 1998, the share of total spending on electronic goods was 16%, after which it inclined slightly to one-fifth in 2008. A similar change, but to a larger extent, was seen in clothing’s figures, with 12% in the first year and a 6% rise after a decade. Meanwhile, eating out accounted for 6% of the residents’ total spending and remained unchanged.

As for the remainder, people used 8% of their budget for vacation in 1998, followed by a minor decline to 5% ten years later. However, the figures for visiting the cinema and buying newspapers and magazines were comparable and experienced the same trend in both years, declining from 3% initially to 1% in 2008.