The data gives information about how people in a European country allocated their total spending to six different categories of goods and services in 1998 and 2008. Overall, the proportion of spending on clothing and electronic goods rose over the ten-year period, with electronic goods remaining the largest spending category by the end of the period, while most other categories experienced a decline, except for eating out, which remained stable.
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 noticeable rise, increasing from 16% to 20%, making it the category with the highest share of consumer spending by 2008.
In contrast, several categories showed a decline in consumer spending between 1998 and 2008. Expenditure on holidays fell from 8% to 5%, spending on newspapers and magazines dropped from 3% to 1%, and the proportion spent on cinema also decreased from 3% to 1%. Meanwhile, spending on eating out remained stable at 6% throughout the decade.