1. Demographic Indicators

2. Name____________________
Indicators of Economic Development
Demographic
Economic
Social
Political
________________________
_______________________

3. Use the maps/charts/graphs at each station to complete the following questions.
Which nation has the longest life expectancy?
Which continent has the overall shortest life expectancy?
What can you infer about the education and healthcare in Australia based on the birth rates?
What occurred in Bangladesh between 2002 and 2004 in regards to the birthrates?
Parts of Africa have extremely high infant mortality rates. What can you infer about access to medical care in these areas based on the infant mortality rate.
The majority of South Korea’s GDP is provided by _________________.
Which three continents have the highest overall GDP per Capita?
Noticing the difference between the literacy of men and women in Pakistan what can you infer about that nation?
In which part of Africa are you more likely to find advanced sanitation systems? Rural or Urban?
What can you infer about the health and life expectancy of the population in Japan?
List 3 nations that have the least amount of freedom of the press?
Which two continents have the least amount of democratic nations?

4. Human Development Index
The Human Development Index (HDI) was created by the United Nations in 1990 as a tool for ranking countries based on their level of economic development. This index looks at several factors to determine if a nation is more developed, less developed or newly developed.

5. Indicators
There are 4 types of indicators used to measure a nation's level of development. Social- Political Economic- G.D.P., Demographic- Life expectancy, birth and death rates, infant mortality rates

6. Life Expectancy
Life expectancy is the average number of years an individual in the country is expected to live. Life expectancy is often affected by the country’s level of poverty, diet and malnutrition, number of doctors and the presence of infectious diseases within the population. 1 2
Demographic

7. Birth and Death Rates
Birth and death rates are usually measured by how many people are born or die for every thousand people in that nation every year. The death rate is also called the mortality rate. Generally, countries with high birth rates and mortality rates are often less developed since these reflect the degree of poverty and quality of heath care in a nation. 4 3
Demographic

8. Infant Mortality Rates
The infant mortality rate is the number of infants (babies) who die for every thousand births. Infant mortality rates are closely related to the level of medical care available when an infant is born. The most common causes of infant deaths in the world has traditionally been dehydration, diarrhea, malnutrition, and malaria. 5
Demographic

9. Gross Domestic Product
The Gross Domestic Product (G.D.P.) is the total value of goods and services produced by a nation in a year. 6
Economic

10. Gross Domestic Product Per Capita
The Gross Domestic Product Per Capita reflects the value of goods and services produced in a year in a nation by an average person. Other economic indicators include the average number of automobiles, telephones, televisions, or computers per person. 7
Economic

11. Literacy Rate
The literacy rate of a nation reflects the percentage of individuals who are able to read and write. This usually reflects access to more education including colleges and universities. 8
Social

12. Housing and Sanitation
This social indicator reflects the cleanliness of a nation through sanitation and the quality of houses. The better the quality of housing the stronger the economy. 9
Social

13. Medical Access
This social indicator represents the number of doctors and hospitals serving the population. The more medical access that a nation has the more developed it is. 10
Social

14. Human Rights
This political indicator represents the rights and quality of life that citizens in a nation enjoy. For example, nations with more human rights (vote, civil liberties, freedom of speech, freedom of religion) are usually more developed. 11
Political

15. Government Involvement
This political indicator represents the amount of government control in the nation. There is no direct link between the economic development of a nation and the amount of power a government has. For example, some more developed nations have been ruled by dictators, while some democratic nations are less developed. 12
Political