Uneven development

• Natural Hazards

  • Earthquakes
  • Hurricanes
  • Can cause widespread devastation, resulting in death, injury and significant infrastructure damage
  • The cost of recovery can seriously affect the population, and damage the economy, leaving less money to spend on a country's development
• Natural Resources


  • Countries that lack natural resources such as timber, coal, gas and minerals struggle to make money from exports and may rely on imports
  • Some countries have abundant natural resources but cannot afford the infrastructure required to extract them
• Climate


  • Countries with extremely hot or cold climates find it difficult to grow crops and produce their own food, so they must rely on imports or struggle to remain self-sufficient
  • People living in extreme climates often have an increased risk of illness and poor health
• Location

  • Location is vital for trade links, so trade can be difficult for inaccessible or landlocked countries without ports, making access to goods expensive
  • Some countries benefit from having a location that attracts tourists, who can bring money to the economy
• Colonialism


  • European nations such as Britain and France took control of (colonised) many parts of the world, exploiting the natural resources with the colonies receiving little or none of the profits
  • After independence, former colonies often struggled to gain political and economic stability
  • Colonial powers largely ignored cultural and ethnic differences when dividing colonies, leading to conflict along many borders after independence
• Conflict


  • In times of conflict, money is spent on firearms not on infrastructure and education, and people are killed or injured, and infrastructure and buildings destroyed, restricting development
• Trading Primary Products


  • Some countries rely on the export of primary products (raw materials), but if prices fluctuate, they may make little profit
  • Countries that export manufactured products can charge more and earn greater profits, which can be used to fund development
• Debt


  • Some LICs may have had to borrow large sums of money, resulting in high levels of debt, with much of their income used to repay debts (often with added interest), reducing the amount that can be invested in development
• Trade Policies and Tariffs

  • Tariffs can make it extremely difficult for LCs to sell their products to other countries for a profit
  • World trade often operates unfairly, with trading policies and agreements tending to favour HICs, whereas LICs are often exploited
• Uneven development


  Has led to major consequences in terms of wealth, health and international migration
• Africa bears 25% of cases of all the world's diseases, yet only 2% of the world's doctors
• Unclean water and poor sanitation gives rise to diseases such as cholera, and lack of medicines and vaccines leads to a higher death rate
• LICs have high infant mortality rates (e.g. Angola: 56.9 deaths per 1,000 live births) and low life expectancies (e.g. Mali: 57 years)
• Nearly 50% of the world's population lives on less than $2.50 per day, and in sub-Saharan Africa, over 40% of the population lives in extreme poverty, whereas only 2% of Iceland's population lives in extreme poverty
• Even in NICs that have experienced recent economic growth, wealth disparity is a big problem, with Nigeria having one of the greatest levels of wealth inequality in the world despite its GDP growing at an average rate of 5.7% per year in the years 2006-2016, with more than 112 million people still living in poverty due to corruption and the unequal distribution of wealth
• International Migration

  • HICs have a greater pull factor than LICs, so skilled people in LCs often seek a better life in HICs, draining LICs of skilled workers
  • Conflict in Africa and the Middle East has also pushed many to seek new homes, resulting in a huge increase in migration to Europe
• In 2015, 1.38 million foreign-born individuals moved to the United States, a 2% increase from 2014, many lured by better job prospects, better healthcare and a higher quality of life
• Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

  Shows changes over time in the population of a country
• Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

  • Responds to variations in birth and death rates (natural change)
  • Also affected by migration (not shown on the DTM)
• Demographic Transition Model (DTM)

  1. Stage 1: High birth rate, high death rate, population fairly stable

  2. Stage 2: Death rate decreases, birth rate remains high, population grows

  3. Stage 3: Birth rate drops rapidly, death rate continues to decrease but more slowly, population still grows, but not quite as fast

  4. Stage 4: Low birth rate, low death rate, birth rate can fluctuate depending on the economic situation

  5. Stage 5: Birth rate falls below death rate, death rate increases slightly because of ageing population, population decreases unless immigration replaces the retired population
• Stage 1


  • Traditional rainforest tribes with little contact with the outside world. There are now no Stage 1 countries in the world.
• Stage 2


  • Afghanistan - many poor countries are in Stage 2.
• Stage 3


  • Nigeria - an NEE experiencing economic growth.
• Stage 4


  • USA - one of the most developed countries in the world, with good health care and women who pursue careers.
• Stage 5


  • Japan and Germany - well-developed countries with an ageing population.
• The DTM shows changes in birth rate, death rate and total population.
• As a country becomes more developed, these characteristics change.