The bar chart illustrates how the average weekly spending of families in a single country shifted between 1968 and 2018 across various essential expenditure categories.
Overall, food, fuel and power, clothing and footwear, and personal goods have experienced a downward trend from 1968 to 2018. However, housing, transport, and leisure have grown over the given period.
In 1968, a considerable portion of the weekly income was allocated to food, accounting for approximately 32% of the total expenditure. By 2018, this figure had decreased to around 15%, suggesting a substantial decline in the proportion of income spent on food. Similarly, fuel and power witnessed a noticeable decrease, dropping from about 11% in 1968 to approximately 6% in 2018. Clothing and footwear also followed a similar pattern, declining from around 10% to 5% over the same period.
In contrast to the aforementioned categories, housing expenditure experienced a significant increase, rising from about 13% in 1968 to nearly 20% in 2018. Transport also showed a notable upward trend, increasing from approximately 9% to 15% over the same period. Leisure activities also saw a substantial growth, rising from around 4% in 1968 to 10% in 2018.