The table illustrates how many cars, lorries and other vehicles were owned for every thousand residents in eight different nations in 1990 and again a decade later.
Overall
, car ownership rose in all eight nations over the decade, but the gap between the wealthiest and the poorest remained enormous. The United States had the highest figure in both years, Linking Words
whereas
China and India stayed far behind everyone else despite recording the fastest growth.
In 1990, Americans already owned roughly 750 vehicles for every thousand people, and Linking Words
this
climbed to about 800 by 2000. Germany, Japan and the UK formed a second group, each starting between 450 and 500 and rising to approximately 550, so by the end of the period they stood at around two-thirds of the American level. Because these economies were mature by Linking Words
then
, their increases were modest compared with the newer markets.
The remaining countries told a different story. Brazil and Russia began at 90 and 70, respectively, and reached 150 and 140, which meant that both totals doubled in just ten years. China and India, Linking Words
however
, started from a tiny base of 5 and 4 cars per thousand. Linking Words
Although
the Chinese total tripled to 15 and the Indian one rose to 10, these were still less than a fiftieth of the American ownership rate, and if expansion had continued at that pace, decades would have passed before they caught up.Linking Words