Measuring Development
Is a country developed just because it is rich? Learn how geographers measure development with GDP per capita, the HDI and other indicators, and why no single number tells the whole story.
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More than money
Is a country developed just because it is rich? Development means the progress a country makes in wealth, health, education and quality of life, not money alone. Geographers use measures called indicators to compare how developed different places are.
Four ways to measure
Edexcel names several development measures. Four common ones are:
One number or many?
Some measures use a single figure; others combine several.
Name it
What does the Human Development Index (HDI) measure?
- Income, life expectancy and education combined
- Only the total wealth of a country
- Only the size of the population
- Only the land area of a country
Match the measure
- GDP per capita
- HDI
- Inequality
- Corruption index
- Economic output shared per person
- Income, health and education combined
- The income gap between rich and poor
- How honestly a country is governed
Why one number is not enough
A high GDP per capita can hide a large gap between rich and poor, and says nothing about health or schooling. That is why a composite measure like the HDI, which combines income, life expectancy and education, gives a fairer picture of quality of life.
GDP per capita
A country makes goods and services worth 50 billion dollars in a year and has a population of 25 million people. What is its GDP per capita, in dollars? (Divide the total by the number of people.)
Spot the indicators
Which THREE of these are used to measure a country development?
- GDP per capita
- Life expectancy
- Adult literacy rate
- The colour of the flag
- The length of the national anthem
Rank by HDI
HDI runs from 0 to 1, where higher means more developed. Order these countries from least to most developed.
- Country A: HDI 0.40
- Country B: HDI 0.55
- Country C: HDI 0.75
- Country D: HDI 0.90
What GDP hides, and what HDI adds
GDP per _____ measures wealth, but it can hide the _____ between rich and poor. The HDI is a _____ measure because it also includes life expectancy and _____. Development is spread _____ across the world, with some regions far richer than others.
True or not?
Tap the TWO statements that are true about measuring development.
- HDI combines income, health and education.
- GDP per capita can hide the gap between rich and poor.
- A single measure always shows quality of life fully.
- Development is spread evenly across the whole world.
- The corruption index measures the size of a population.
Why so uneven?
- A harsh climate makes farming difficult
- A country was colonised and its resources taken
- A country pays back large debts and trades on poor terms
- Corrupt leaders waste money meant for public services
- Physical cause
- Historical cause
- Economic cause
- Political cause
Pick the right measure
Choose the best measure to answer each question.
- You want to compare overall quality of life fairly between two countries. Which measure is best?
- You want to see the income gap between the richest and poorest people. Which measure is best?
- You want to judge how honestly a country is governed. Which measure is best?
Explain the measures
Explain why the HDI is often a better measure of development than GDP per capita alone.
- Explain what GDP per capita measures
- Explain what the HDI adds
- Give one weakness of using GDP per capita on its own
- Explain why a fuller measure helps compare quality of life