Development – it is how countries, regions, provinces and settlements progress

and improve over time in terms of their economy, infrastructure, industrialisation

and improvement in quality of life. There are three aspects of development
namely social, economic and environmental development.

1. Economic indicators of development – These inform us about the wealth and

income of a country or region.

Examples of economic indicators of development

 Gross Domestic Product (GDP)– it is the total value of all goods and
services that a country produces per year.
 Gross National Product (GNP) – It is the total value of all goods and
services produced in a country per year including its foreign earnings.
 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita – it is the total value of all goods
and services that a country produces per year divided by the total
population of country.
 Currency – it is any form of money that is used in circulation throughout a
country. Currency is generally accepted as a method of payment as well as
a medium of exchange.

2. Social indicators of development – these measure conditions in society that

affect people’s quality of life for example access to healthcare, education and
housing.

Examples of social indicators of development

 Life expectancy – it is the average age that a person expects to live.

 Infant mortality rate – it is the number of babies who die per 1000 live
births before they reach the age of a year.
 Literacy rate – it is the percentage of the population over the age of 15,
who can read and write.

3. Environmental indicators of development – these indicators measure the

amount of human impact on the natural environment and on natural resources.
Examples of environmental indicators

 The amount of pollution in the atmosphere.

 The quantity of non-renewable resources that are used.
 The drop in fish stocks in the ocean.
 The quality of water in rivers and lakes.
 The rate at which human beings destroy natural forests
 Desertification mainly as a result of human activities such as overgrazing,
deforestation and over cultivation.

The Human Development Index (HDI)

The human development index indicates the level of human development among
countries and it includes social and economic aspects of development. The human
development index measures the following:
 GDP per capita that is living standards or conditions.
 Education (average years of schooling).
 Health (life expectancy).

More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs) – these are developed and

wealthier countries that have high income levels and a high quality of life.
Developed countries are found at the north of the Brandt line which includes
North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Developing countries
are found at the south of the Brandt line which includes South America, Africa
and South Eastern Asia.

Refer to fig 4 on page 33 concerning the differences between MEDCs and LEDCs.

Factors affecting development (reasons for differences in development around

the world)
There are many reasons that cause places to have different levels of development
around the world and these include:
 Colonisation – European countries colonised and exploited the wealth of
many countries throughout the world. This explains why many countries in
South America and Africa are poor.
 Globalisation – this involves unequal trading between developed and
developing countries. Multinational companies exploit the wealth and
labour in developing countries to make profits.
  International trade – this favours developed countries through value
addition to products that they get from developing countries. Developed
countries resell manufactured goods at very high prices to developing
countries.
 Technology – developed countries are technologically advanced than
developing countries.
 Industrialisation – developed countries are highly industrialised while
developing countries are industrialising or are struggling to industrialise.
 Political stability – regions with political stability have higher chances of
developing than regions where there is political instability.
 Education – it is a vehicle of development and developed countries have
higher literacy rates than developing countries.
 Health and welfare – in developed countries, almost everyone has access
to healthcare whereas in developing countries many people die due to lack
of access to proper healthcare facilities.

Definition of words