Government spending on roads and transport in four countries 1990-2005

The bar chart illustrates the percentage of government expenditure dedicated to roads and transport in Italia, Portugal, the UK, and the USA across four distinct years: 1990, 1995, 2000, and 2005.

Overall, Portugal consistently allocated the highest proportion of its budget to transport until 2005, while the UK and USA generally maintained lower spending levels compared to the European nations. Notably, while spending in Portugal followed a downward trend, the USA experienced a gradual increase over the period.

In 1990, Portugal led with 27% spending, followed by Italia at 22%. By contrast, the UK and USA recorded significantly lower figures of 10% and 11% respectively. By 1995, spending in all four countries declined slightly. However, by 2000, Italia and the UK saw a recovery, with Italia reaching a peak of 23.5% and the UK rising to 12%. Conversely, Portugal’s spending continued to fall to 22.5%.

By 2005, Portugal’s expenditure had dropped to 20%, matching the level of Italia in 1995. Italia itself saw a decline to 19% in 2005. Meanwhile, the UK experienced a sharp decrease to 8%, whereas the USA showed a contrasting upward trend, reaching 15%, which was its highest point in the period.