The chart illustrates how much money was spent on a kilogram of bananas in 4 countries from 1994 to 2004.
Overall, there were increases in banana prices in Japan and the USA, while the opposite trends could be seen in the other countries. Additionally, the banana cost in Japan fluctuated most significantly and was by far the highest, except in the year 2001. It is also noted that the ranking of banana costs among the 4 countries remained unchanged.
Looking first at the nations with rising banana prices. For Japan, which had the highest amount of money spent on a kilogram of bananas, the cost stood at $1.80 in the first year, followed by a peak of $2.80 in 1995, which was the highest figure in the whole chart, before decreasing to $2.00 in the next two years. In 1999, the price dropped slightly and grew to $2.30, and then it rose to $2.50 after reaching a low of $1.60 and making a recovery. For the USA, the amount of money spent on a kilogram of bananas in this country was the lowest. In 1994, the USA people could buy a kilogram of bananas for $0.75, after which the expenditure increased to about $1.15. Then, it hovered around the same figure, and surpassed that of France and was exceeded by that in 2003, and the price ended the period at $1.15.
Turning to the countries with contrasting trends, the cost of a kilogram of bananas in France was first recorded at $1.75 and stayed unchanged in the next three years, after which it fell to $1.60 in 1998. A year later, the price grew negligibly to $1.75 before plummeting to $1.25 in 2000, followed by bouncing back to $1.75, surpassing Japan, and being surpassed by the same in 2001. Then, the banana price reached a low of $1.00, being exceeded by Germany and the UK, after which it witnessed a rise to $1.52 in 2004. Meanwhile, in Germany, in 1994, a kilogram of bananas cost $1.45, and then it saw a significant drop to $1.25 before fluctuating considerably around $1.40 and ending the period at $1.20.