Measuring development

• Development is when a country is improving. There are 3 types:

  1. Economic development - progress in economic growth
  2. Social development - improvement in peoples standard of living
  3. Environmental development - advances in management and protection of the environment
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total value of goods and services a country produces in a year

  • measure of wealth
• GDP per capita is the GDP divided by the population of a country
• Gross national Income (GNI) is the total value of goods and services produced by a country in a year, including income from overseas
• GNI per capita is the GNI divided by the population of the country
• Birth rate is the number of live babies born per thousand of the population per year
• death rate is the number of deaths per thousand of the population per year
• life expectancy is the average age a person can expect to live to
• infant mortality rate is the number of babies who die under 1 year old per thousand babies born
• literacy rate is the percentage of adults who can read and write
• Human Development Index (HDI) is a number calculated using life expectancy, education level and income per capita.

  • 0 = least developed
  • 1 = most developed
• The most developed countries are in North America, Europe, and Australasia. The least developed countries are in central Africa and Asia
• low income developing countries (LIDCs)

  these are the poorest countries in the world

  their economy is often based on primary industry (agriculture) and they dont export many goods

  they dont have much money to spend on development so their level of development stays low

  EG Afghanistan
• emerging and developing countries (EDCs)

  these countries are getting richer as their economy is moving from being based on primary industry to secondary industry (eg manufacturing).

  • exports of manufactured goods are high
  • exports and increasing wages means more money is spent on development
  • the standard of living improves

  EG China
• advanced countries (ACs)

  these are wealthiest countries in the world

  their economy is based on tertiary (services) and quaternary industry (technology, research)

  They have a lot of money to spend on development

  EG Canada