The line graph compares the proportions of children in four age groups, namely 0-4, 5-9, 10-14, and 15-19, in the UK between 1990 and 2001. In general, despite the two contrasting trends (downward for children aged 0-4 and 15-19 and upward for those aged 5-9 and 10-14), the decline in the birth rate was the most striking feature.
In the youngest age group, there was an increase over the first two years from just below 26% in 1990 to about 26.6% in 1992, followed by a gradual fall to 23.6%, the lowest percentage, in 2001. Regarding the 15-19 age group, the dramatic decrease from approximately 26.3% in 1990 to just over 23% in 1994 can be contrasted with a steady recovery over the latter part of the period, reaching nearly 25% in 2001.
By contrast, an upward trend was noticed in the categories of children aged 5-9 and 10-14. Looking at the former group, the percentage peaked at approximately 26.3% in 1997, but the final proportion (about 25.3%) remained greater than the initial (nearly 24.6%). As regards the latter, the percentage of children in this category not only increased over the period but was also the highest in 2001, at approximately 26.3%.