The pie charts compare how people in the UK distributed their household expenditure across seven different categories in the years 1971 and 2001.
Overall, it is clear that the highest proportion of the UK household budget was allocated to food in 1971, whereas cars became the dominant expense by 2001. Additionally, while the percentage of spending on computers and restaurants increased significantly over the 30 years, the opposite trend was true for books and food.
In 1971, food was by far the largest sector, accounting for 44% of total spending. However, by 2001, this figure had plummeted to just 14%. Conversely, automotive expenses saw a massive surge; the budget share for cars nearly doubled from 22% to become the top expense at 43%.
Regarding the remaining categories, restaurant dining doubled from 7% to 14%, matching food spending by 2001. The proportion spent on computers saw a sixfold increase, climbing from a mere 2% to 12%. In contrast, the financial allocation for books dropped from 6% to a negligible 1%. Petrol and furniture both experienced minor declines, falling to 8% each by the end of the period.