The bar chart compares the proportion of households in a particular country that owned various consumer goods in 2001 and 2008.
Overall, ownership of all items increased over the period, with the exception of telephone ownership, which remained stable. The most common goods in both years were televisions and telephones, while the least common were dishwashers and Internet access in 2001.
Television ownership rose slightly from just under 100% to full coverage by 2008. Similarly, the percentage of homes with telephones stayed high, at around 90% in both years. There were notable increases in computer and Internet ownership: computers rose from about 55% to over 65%, while Internet access almost doubled, from roughly 20% to around 40%.
Ownership of other household appliances also increased. Microwave usage grew from about 80% to nearly 90%, whereas the proportion of households with dishwashers increased modestly from around 25% to approximately 35%.
Overall, data suggest that households became increasingly equipped with both electronic devices and basic appliances between 2001 and 2008.
