Band 9: The table below illustrates the percentage of expenditure allocated to 11 different categories per capita in Australia in 1986 and 2009 Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The given table compares the proportion of expenditure per capita in Australia across 11 classifications between 1986 and 2009.

Overall, most categories saw an upward trend, except food, clothing, and transport, which all declined. Housing remained the highest expenditure rate throughout the period.

Focusing on categories with an increasing trend, housing grew steadily from 22% in 1986 to a peak of 26% in 2009, remaining the highest proportion of expenditure. Similarly, starting from different bases in 1986, with 7% for electricity and water and 8% for recreation and entertainment, both ended at 10%. Additionally, healthcare and communication almost doubled, rising from 5% to 8% and 3% to 6%, respectively. Also, education rose from 4% to 6%, insurance and financial services increased from 5% to 7%, and other goods and services edged up from 8% to 9%.

By contrast, food expenditure fell moderately, starting from 18% in 1986 to 15% by 2009. Similarly, transport also experienced a downward trend but decreased slightly from 14% to 13%. Clothing showed the most notable drop, decreasing from 6% to 4% over the period.