The line provides information about the percentage of total expenditure to five different categories in Australia between 1970 and 2010. Overall, it is evident that the spending on food, transport, and health declined overall, with the figure for food falling sharply, whereas other categories showed upward trends. Notably, expenditure on clothing topped the chart in the closing years, surpassing the figures for leisure and food.
Examining the data for food, expenditure on this category stood at 35% in 1970. Food, which accounted for the largest proportion in 1970, declined dramatically over the period before bottoming out at 15% in 2000 and then edging up slightly to about 16% by 2010.
Turning to transport, the level stood at 10% in 1970. This level fell by 5 percentage point in 2010. A comparable trend can be seen for health, with the figure standing at a mere 5% in 1970. This figure further declined to about 3% in 2010, with expenditure on health remaining at the bottom throughout the period.
Conversely, the figure for clothing followed an upward trend throughout the period. Clothing, which plateaued for nearly a decade, increased considerably over the period, eventually reaching its zenith of 19% in 2010, with the figure for clothing overtaking those of leisure and food and topping the list in the final year. A comparable yet less pronounced rise can be seen in the leisure category, with the proportion comprising 10% in 1970. This percentage increased moderately to about 16% in 2010, ending the period at the same level as food.