A- level Development
,Development indicators
The global development gap can be measured using single indicators (GDP p.c. (nominal and PPP),
LE) or indices (HDI, GDI) with each having pros and cons. (13)
GDP- The monetary value of all finished goods and services made within a country in a specific
period
Advantages:
- Useful figure for comparing countries
- Often used to rank countries to establish a fair system of aid payments
- A good indicator of the state of the economy and provision of services
- Fairly easy to calculate form official gov figures
Disadvantages:
● Hide inequalities, does not show the distribution of wealth
● Can be manipulated by government who want to appear poor to collect more aid
● Does not take into account subsistence or informal economies which are very important in
less developed countries
,GDP per capita- GDP outcome divided by population
- GDP per capita is the total value of all the goods and services produced in a country in a year
plus income from abroad, divided by the number of people (per capita) living in that country
- GDP per capita allows us to compare wealth between different countries. However, the
calculation only tells us the average income within a country. The wealth of the country may
not be shared out equally. Some people may earn a lot of money, whereas others may have
very little.
GDP per capita PPP- A measurement of prices in different countries that uses the prices of specific
goods to compare the absolute purchasing power of the countries currencies.
- In many cases ppp produces an inflation rate that is equal to the price of the basket of goods at
one location divided by the price of the basket of goods in a different location
Human Development Index (HDI):
- The Human Development Index is made up of a number of important measures:
● GNI per capita
● number of years of education
● life expectancy
- HDI values can range from 0 (less developed) to 1 (more developed).
- HDI is a composite measure. It looks at three things - health, wealth and education. Looking
at this range of measures can give a better overall idea of how a country is doing.
- However, HDI does not consider other important factors, such as inequality or environmental
issues. For example, HDI does not show whether there is a gender pay gap - a difference
between the average earnings of men and women.
Literacy rates:
- Literacy rate is the percentage of people aged 15 years and above who can read and write.
- Literacy rates tell us about the level of education within a country. Children who learn to read
and write are more likely to get jobs when they are older. However, literacy rates do not tell
us about the health or wealth of people.
Gross domestic income (GDI):
A measure of a nation's economic activity that is based on all of the money earned for all of the goods
and services produced in the nation during a specific period
Birth and death rates:
Crude Birth and Death rates (per 1000) can be used as an overall measure of the state of healthcare
and education in a country, though these numbers do not give a full picture of a nation’s situation.
Life expectancy:
- The number of years a person can expect to live
- This simple statistic can be used as an indicator of the:
● healthcare quality in a country or province
● level of sanitation
● provision of care for the elderly
, Indicator Haiti India China South Korea Brazil UK
GDP $31.62 billion $8,443,360,0 17.73 trillion 1.609 trillion 1.609 trillion 3.187 trillion
(2020 est.) 00,000 (2020 USD (2021) USD (2021) USD (2021) USD
est.)
3rd in the
world
GDP/capita $2,800 (2020 $6,100 (2020 $12,556 $14,100 $14,100 47,334.36
est.) est.) USD (2020 est.) (2020 est.) USD
GDP PPP $8.608 billion $2,835,927,0 $31,583 $2,989,430,0 $2,989,430,0 2,827,918,00
(2017 est.) 00,000 (2019 billion 00,000 (2020 00,000 (2020 0,000 USD
est.) est.) est.)
Life 65.95 years Total total total 75.92 years 80.90 years
Expectancy population: population: population: total
67.22 years 77.72 years 75.92 years population:
male: 65.46 male: 75 male: 72.5 68.7 million
years female: years years Male: 33.7
69.16 years female: 80.7 female: 79.5 million
(2022 est.) years years (2022 Female: 34.8
est.) million
HDI 0.510 0.633 0.761 0.875 0.765 0.932
Literacy 61.7% total total 93.2% 86.3%.
population: population:
74.4% 93.2%
male: 82.4% male: 93%
female: female:
65.8% (2018) 93.4% (2018)
Global and International Inequalities
Development differences at a global scale reveal complex patterns, and national scale differences also
exist. (14)
The gini coefficient is a measure of income inequality that condenses the entire income distribution
for a country into a single number between 0-1, higher the more innequal
- It is a numerical measure of the Lorenz curve, the further it is away from the line the more
unequal
Inequalities due to physical, political, historical, social, environmental factors
Hong Kong:
● Monthly income of the top 10% of wealthy households is 44 times that of poor households
and growing.
● Hong Kong has been subject to the “hollowing out” processes that have plagued many former
industrial economies – industry leaves and nothing replaces it.
● Wealth of top 21 tycoons in Hong Kong equivalent to fiscal reserve of government
● Public expenditure on areas such as healthcare and social welfare, which would most benefit
low-income citizens, is much lower than other developed areas.