The given bar graph compares the percentage of total world production in Asia, Europe and other parts of the world between 1840 and 2000.
Overall, it is noticeable that the production in both Asia and Europe witnessed a downward trend, whereas that in other regions worldwide followed an opposite trend during the given period. Additionally, the gap between the proportion of world production in three regions narrowed considerably over the same period.
In terms of the production in Asia, a downward trend could be seen during an80-year period from 1840 to 1960. In 1840, Asia had the largest proportion of (over half of) the worldwide production, peaking at over 50%, roughly 10% higher than the share of Europe and five times as much as the rest of world. In 1960, the figure for the production in Asia plummeted to approximately 20%, a half of that in 1840. In the following 40 years, the percentage doubled, soaring to over 40%.
Conversely, although the share in Europe experienced a steady increase to nearly 40% between 1840 and 1960, it saw a sharp decrease in 2000(nearly 30%).
With regard to other regions worldwide, the proportion of world production was on the rise. It ranked the last place and reached 10% at the beginning of the given period. Sequently, it experienced a slight fluctuation before an eventual mild increase to 20% in 2000.