The bar chart illustrates how families in one country allocated their weekly income to various categories in 1968 and 2018. Overall, there were notable shifts in spending patterns over the 50 year period. In 1968 food was the largest expenditure, while in 2018, leisure took the lead.
In 2018, spending on certain categories increased compared to 1968. Housing saw a significant rise, increasing from about 10% to approximately 19% of weekly income. Transport expenditure also increased considerably, moving from just under 8% to around 14%. Clearly, the highest increase was for leisure expenses which went from 9% to 23%.
Conversely, several categories saw a decrease in spending by 2018. The proportion of income spent on food dropped significantly from around 35% to approximately 17%. Clothing and footwear expenditure also notably declined, reducing from about 10% to under 5%. Additionally, spending on fuel and power decreased slightly over the period.
In summary, while household goods’ spending remained relatively stable over the 50 years, there were significant increases in housing, leisure, and transport expenditures, alongside notable decreases in spending on food, personal goods, and clothing and footwear.