The line chart provides data on the expenditure of the U.S. government in five sectors, including health, space, energy, general science, and ‘other,’ from 1980 to 2008 (units are measured in billions).
To begin with, The U.S. government spent the largest amount of money on the health sector throughout the period starting from approximately 7 in 1980. After that the figure skyrocketed to about 22 in 2004, before falling to around 17 by the end of the period. In addition, although spending on space was the third highest at the beginning, it gradually rose to nearly 9 in 2008, becoming the second highest.
Expenditure on energy started at 5 and remained stable until 1996 when it rose to about 7. It then fluctuated slightly before rising again to nearly 7 in 2008. Spending on general science was the lowest over the period. It started at around 3 and remained below 5 throughout the period, despite a slight increase.
In contrast, other was the only sector that showed a decreasing trend. In 1980, the government spent approximately 6 in this sector, however; by 2008, the expenditure had decreased by 1.
In general, expenditure on health, space, general science, and energy increased over the period. Nevertheless, the only ‘other’ sector showed a decreasing trend.