The column chart presents data on the proportion of car ownership in a particular European country from 1971 to 2001.
Overall, the number of people who own one or more cars increased steadily throughout the timeframe, despite some fluctuations. It is also clear that the percentage of “a single car” owners saw the most dramatic increase, while the figure for people owning “no car” decreased drastically.
In 1971, the trend for “no car” accounted for about 47%, the highest figure in 1971, but then saw a 10-point decline over the next decade. This was followed by a further decrease to exactly 30% in 1991, finishing the period at around 28%.
The remaining categories, on the other hand, followed a different pattern. “1 car” and “2 car and more” stood at 35% and some 15% in 1981. Although the share of the latter improved noticeably to reach approximately 28%, that of the former saw a slight decrease to above 30%. However, the rate of “1 car” rose sharply to make up a significant 47%, making it the highest in 1991, a figure that then decreased marginally to conclude at roughly 43%. In contrast, there was a decline to nearly 21% in the share of “2 car and more” in 1991, but it then recovered swiftly over the next years, closing at about 27%.