The line graph illustrates the proportion of people who used public transport in one country in 2016, with the figures divided into six age groups and according to whether residents lived in a large city or elsewhere.
Overall, public transport usage among residents of large cities was considerably higher than that of people living in other areas for most age groups. Among large-city residents, usage increased sharply from childhood to early adulthood, reached a peak among those aged 31-45, and then declined substantially with age. By contrast, the figures for other residents remained relatively low and stable throughout the age range, apart from a modest peak among 16-30-year-olds.
Looking first at large-city residents, approximately 40% of those aged 0-15 used public transport. This figure rose to around 55% among 16-30-year-olds and reached a high of about 67% in the 31-45 age group. Thereafter, usage fell markedly to roughly 43% among people aged 46-60. The decline became particularly pronounced among those aged 61-75, when the figure dropped to only about 9%, before recovering slightly to approximately 14% among the over-76s.
The pattern among residents outside large cities was considerably less dramatic. Public transport use stood at around 15% among the youngest group and climbed to approximately 26% for those aged 16-30. It then fell to about 15% among 31-45-year-olds and remained almost unchanged at 14% for the 46-60 group. Usage subsequently increased slightly to around 18% among 61-75-year-olds, before declining to approximately 6% in the oldest age group.
In summary, the most notable contrast is that public transport use in large cities was highest among middle-aged adults, whereas usage outside large cities remained comparatively low across all age groups.