The bar chart illustrates the proportion of 
homes
 that were either bought or rented in England and Wales from 1918 to 2011. Units are measured in percentages. 
Use synonyms
Overall
, an increased majority was renting in the beginning before experiencing a downward trend Linking Words
while
 there was an upward trend in Linking Words
people
 buying houses. Despite Use synonyms
this
, there was one period where the percentage of Linking Words
people
 that were renting and buying was the same. 
In 1918, there was a significant percentage of Use synonyms
people
 renting Use synonyms
homes
 which was well over 75% or three-quarters of households. Use synonyms
In 
Linking Words
contrast
 the percentage of home ownership was significantly smaller at about 22%. Noticeably, the number of Add a comma
contrast,
people
 paying rent declined dramatically to 40% in 1981 compared to 60% of individuals owning their Use synonyms
homes
. 
Use synonyms
On the other hand
, more Linking Words
people
 were owning their Use synonyms
homes
 throughout the period. Use synonyms
Initially
, Linking Words
this
 number stood at around 22% in 1918, before increasing to more than one-third in 1953 and eventually increasing to nearly 70% in 2001. Linking Words
Moreover
, in 1971,a  similar number of households were renting and owning Linking Words
homes
.Use synonyms