The bar chart illustrates the contribution of three different sectors—agriculture, manufacturing, and business and financial services—to the UK economy from 1900 to 2000.
Overall, there was a significant decline in the contributions of the agriculture and manufacturing sectors over the century, while the business and financial sector saw a remarkable increase. Although the business and financial sector contributed the least at the beginning, by 2000 it had become the dominant sector in the UK economy.
In 1900, agriculture had the most substantial contribution at around 50%, followed closely by manufacturing at approximately 45%. The business and financial sector, however, accounted for only 3% of the economy. By 1950, the share from agriculture had increased slightly to about 53%, while manufacturing experienced a decrease to 37%. During the same period, the business and financial sector saw a modest rise to 8%.
As the century progressed, the contribution of agriculture fell sharply, dropping to 10% by 1975 and further plummeting to just 2% by 2000. Manufacturing also experienced a decline, decreasing gradually to around 15% by the end of the period. In contrast, the business and financial sector continued to grow steadily, reaching approximately 35% by 2000, making it the most significant contributor to the UK economy at the end of the century.