Economic

• GDP per capita: Value of all goods and services produced annually divided by the population
• GNP: Value of all goods and services produced annually, excluding foreign investment, divided by the population
• News papers sold per 1000 people: Reflects literacy rate showing education provision. Gives indication of disposable income. Shows if a country has the infrastructure to print and distribute news papers
• Internet use per 1000 people: Shows if government can afford major investment in telophone and broadband as well as electricity. Access to computers requires disposable income. In LEDCs computer use is limited to urban areas
• Energy consumption: Good measure of industrial development. Energy consumption is less in LEDCs due to less use of things like washing machines. However in the tropics less energy is required for heating
• Percentage of workforce in agriculture: Less people employed in agriculture when mechanisation occurs (usually in MEDCs). Also when mechanisation occurs countries move from subsistance farming to commercial farming. This is affected by climate however as MEDCs may not have the right climate for commercial farming
• Problems with economic indicators: Regional differences - South east Brazil is wealthy and industrialised so commercial farming, compared to subsistance farming in North east Brazil
• Problems with economic indicators: Rural and urban differences - Especially in LEDCs where urban population is much wealthier than rural population
• Problems with economic indicators: Intra Urban inequalities - Wealthy parts of cities can be in direct contrast of shanty towns and slums (e.g. Rio de jeneiro, Leblon = wealthy and Favelas = poor)
• Problems with economic indicators: GNP does not take into account what can be bought with certain amount of money (e.g. £1 can buy more in Columbia than in the UK)
• Problems with economic indicators: GNP does not take into account subsistance farming the informal economy which is not taxed but is essential in LEDCs
• Problems with economic indicators: Does not tell us about the quality of life, for example, Health of the population or housing standards. Although a link may be assumed