The line graph above illustrates the percentage of graduate students in the universities from the four different European countries between the years 1961 and 2011. Overall, it can be clearly seen that there has been increase in all the countries except France, which remains consistent after 1991. Also there has been a dramatic increase in the percentage of the graduates in Italy.
In Portugal, it starts from a 15% in 1961 and has a sudden surge till it reaches a 30% in 1971.Then it proceeds to go down upto a 25% in 1981 and again increases just above a 35% in 1991. After the percentage slightly decreases to just below a 35% in 2001and had a resurgence of upto a 40% in 2011. The graph of Portugal shows although some fluctuations but continues to increase in future.
As for Italy, it fluctuates slightly but at the end it had a dramatic resurgence. It begins approximately at 25% in 1961 and had a slight decline which was just above 20% in 1971 . Then, it had a gradual increase by almost reaching 23% in 1981 which then leads to a decrease of 20% in 1991. After a decade, it reaches it’s highest peak of approximately above a 40% in 2011.
The graph of Spain and France goes through similar fluctuations, but in the case of Spain, after the year 1991 in which the percentage is at 15% gradually increases of almost upto a 20% in 2011. Also for France, after 1991 it remains to consistent at 15% till it reaches 2011.
In conclusion, we can say that the two major trends are the increasing number of graduate students in all of the countries except France, in which the percentage remains to be constant from 1991 to 2011. And also the sudden increase in the percentage of Italy in 1991 by reaching a peak above 40% in 2011.