The bar chart delineates the proportion of global manufacturing output in 3 different regions – namely, Asia, Europe, and the rest of the world – throughout the period from 1840 to 2000.
Overall, while Asian and European productions witnessed a downward trajectory between 1840 and 2000, a contrasting pattern was observed in the figures for the rest of the world. In addition, all 3 areas dominated alternatively, with some disparities varying greatly between the years.
In 1840, Asia accounted for the largest share, producing about half of the global share, which is 10% higher than that of Europe and fivefold that of the rest of the world. Although the percentage of Asia plummeted to reach a trough of one-fifth in 1920, Europe witnessed a significant rise to peak at 50% to become the biggest producer in the same period. Similarly, the rest of the world mirrored this trend by surging to nearly one-third of the total, becoming the second highest production rate by 1920.
From 1960 onwards, both Europe and the rest of the world contributed the same goods rate, making up approximately 38%, which is considerably higher than the figures for Asia, occupying nearly 24%. In the forty-year followings, Asia’s percentage recorded a massive leap to just below 45%, taking the lead at the end of the timeframe. However, this was not the case for Europe and the rest of the world in 2000, with the former plunging to almost 28% and the latter slightly 4% higher, finishing at 32%.