Expenditure Bar Chart

Sample Answer

The bar chart describes spending in five lifestyle categories for residents of four different nations in 2009. Looking from an overall perspective, it is readily apparent that housing, food, and transportation are the biggest expenses in nearly all countries, with those in the United States spending the most on their homes and those in Japan the most on food. Healthcare and clothing are smaller expenses and transportation is a greater expenditure than food in only Canada and the US.

Expenditure on food ranges from a low of 14% in the United States to a high of 22% for Japan, with Canada (15%) and the UK (21%) in between. Housing costs represented at least a slightly higher percentage in all countries: 26% in the US, 24% in the UK, 21% in Japan, and 20% in Canada. The numbers were more variable for transportation as Canada stood at 20%, just above the USA at 19% while the UK and Japan were lower at 15% and 10%, respectively.

In terms of healthcare, by far the most is allocated for medical expenses in the USA (8%) while all other countries are below 5%. For clothing, Canada spends the most of their income (7%), followed by the UK (6%), Japan (4%), and finally the United States (3%).