Expenditure shares across five categories in four nations during 2009

The bar chart illustrates the percentage of total expenditure allocated to five distinct categories—food, housing, transportation, health care, and clothing—across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Japan in 2009.

Overall, housing emerged as the primary expense for all four countries, whereas health care and clothing consistently accounted for the lowest shares of spending. Notably, the United States recorded the highest expenditure on housing, while Japan allocated the largest proportion of its budget to food.

Regarding housing, the United States led at 26%, followed by the United Kingdom at 24%, Japan at 22%, and Canada at 21%. Conversely, in the food category, Japan spent the most at 23%, followed by the United Kingdom at 20%, Canada at 15%, and the United States at 14%. Transportation costs were highest in Canada at 20%, followed by the United States at 17.5%, the United Kingdom at 15%, and Japan at 10%.

In terms of health care, the United States stood out with a 7% share, significantly higher than Canada and Japan, which both stood at 4.2%, and the United Kingdom at 1.5%. Finally, clothing expenditure was relatively uniform, ranging from 4% in the United States and Japan to 6% in Canada.