Sample:
The bar chart shows the proportional distribution of the state budget on road development and transportation in four countries between 1990 and 2005. The data suggest that spending in Italy and Portugal outpaced that in the UK and the US, with the allocated budget only in the US showing a rising trend over the years.
Among higher-tier countries, Italy’s initial rate was about 22% of the total budget, which declined slightly below 20% in 2005, except in 2000 when the allocation peaked at nearly 25%. In sharp contrast, Portugal’s budget dropped to 20% five years after the turn of the century, which, compared to its all-time high initial rate of roughly 27%, represented a significant and consistent decrease in the budget.
However, the budget profile among lower-tier countries differed somewhat. The UK’s allocations were very similar to those in Italy, with its initial budget, which was slightly less than half as much, decreasing by a few percentage points—except for the year 2000, when there was a spike in the proportion: about 12%. In contrast, the situation in the US was an exception, because its focus on transportation—only slightly higher than the UK—might have experienced a minor decrease in 1995, but it then increased consistently, reaching 15%.
