Sample answer
The chart gives demographic information about the urban populations of the UK, China and Vietnam from 1950 to 2010, with predictions to 2040.
Overall, the developing countries’ urban populations have risen significantly so far, and if predictions are correct they are likely to continue increasing in the future. In contrast, the UK’s urban population, which is the highest of the three throughout the period, shows a more gradual upward trend.
At the start of the period, there was a noticeable contrast in the proportions of city dwellers in the three countries as nearly two-thirds of British people lived in cities, while in China and Vietnam, the figures were 20% and 10%respectively. Thereafter, China’s started to increase sharply in the mid 1990s, and by 2000 it had doubled to 40%. Meanwhile, although that of Vietnam had doubled to 20% by the mid 2000s, it continued to lag China’s by a significant margin.
By the year 2040, the urban population of the UK will have reached around 70%, while those of China and Vietnam are expected to be around 60% and 50% respectively.
Count: 184 words.
