levels of economic development Notes World Geography

The human development index (hdi) The Human Development Index is a single statistic based on economic and human indicators used to measure the level of development a country is currently experiencing. Each country’s HDI is expressed as a value between 0 and 1. 2013 Report (by the United Nations) 1. Norway - 0.955 61. Malaysia - 0.775 161. Lesotho – 0.456

Levels of development Level 1 – Less Developed Level 2 – Newly Industrialized Level 3 – More Developed Number 1-5 in the white space next to “Levels of Development”. Write “less developed”, “newly industrialized”, or “more developed” to describe the following pictures.

Mumbai, India

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Mexico City, Mexico

Singapore

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Levels of development Based on the images how would you describe a country that is less developed? How would you describe a country that is newly industrialized? What do you think “more developed” means?

Levels of development Less Developed Countries A country that is considered lacking in terms of its economy, infrastructure and industrial base. The population of a less developed country often has a relatively low standard of living, due to low incomes and abundant poverty. A less developed country is usually poor, as measured by per capita gross domestic product, and is normally un-modernized. Less developed countries rely primarily on agriculture as a source of income and industrial practices usually contribute to less than 10% of the nation's GDP. Many African and Arab countries fall into this category.

Levels of development Newly Industrialized Countries A term used to describe a country whose level of economic development ranks it somewhere between the less developed and more developed classifications. These countries have moved away from an agriculture-based economy and into a more industrialized, urban economy. Examples in the late 2000s included South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, China, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Turkey. There is a lot of disagreement and bias over this level because industrialized is subjective, which means it is based on people’s interpretation of industrialization.

Levels of development More Developed Countries While there is no set definition of a developed economy, it typically refers to a country with a relatively high level of economic growth and security. Developed countries have post-industrial economies, meaning the service sector provides more wealth than the industrial sector. The most well-known current examples of developed countries include the United States, Canada and most of western Europe, including England and France.

Economic Development indicators Literacy rate – the percentage of people that can read and write. Over 95% is good, under 95% not so good. Life expectancy – the average life span of a person measured in years GDP per capita – the value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given year, divided by the population for the same year. ($300-$100,000). Infant mortality rate – deaths of babies less than a year old per 1,000 births. Typically written “# of deaths/1,000 births”

Standard of living Standard of living – refers to the level of wealth and comfort a person enjoys. Factors that indicate standard of living are similar to those that determine economic development. It is based more on measurable data. A country’s standard of living is mainly based on its development. Typically, the more developed a country is, the higher a person’s standard of living becomes. Standard of living can be very different from person to person. Not to be confused with Quality of Life. Quality of life is based more on non-measurable data, like freedom, equality and rights.

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