Step 1
Watch — 10 minutes
Before anything else, watch this short video clip.
200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes
Hans Rosling — BBC Four
Watch ↗
As you watch, think about: what is being measured? Why do some countries move faster than others?
Step 2
Indicator sorting activity — 15 minutes
Drag each indicator into the correct category, then check your answers.
Drag each indicator into the correct column — economic or social. Click any placed indicator to return it to the pool. Press Check my answers when you're ready.
0 of 10 placed
Indicators — drag from here
Economic indicators
Measure a country's wealth, income or trade
Social indicators
Measure people's quality of life and wellbeing
Step 3
Written task — 15 minutes
In your exercise book.
📓 Write today's title and date as your heading: How do we measure development?
1
Economic vs social indicators
In your own words, explain the difference between an economic indicator and a social indicator of development. Give one example of each.
2
Limitations
Choose two indicators from the sorting activity. For each one, write a sentence explaining one limitation — what does it fail to tell us about a country's real level of development?
3
Why use a combination?
Geographers often argue that you cannot measure development with a single indicator. Using examples from the sorting activity, explain why a combination of indicators gives a more accurate picture.
Step 4
Data analysis task — 20 minutes
Study the data table, then answer questions in your exercise book.
The table below shows development data for nine countries. No income classifications are shown — you need to work those out yourself. You can sort the table by any column.
| Country | GDP per capita (US$) | Life expectancy (yrs) | Adult literacy (%) | Infant mortality (per 1,000) | Doctors per 1,000 |
|---|
Chart — GDP per capita vs life expectancy
Unclassified (reveal to colour-code)
📓 Answer these questions in your exercise book, continuing from Step 3.
1
Classify the countries
Using the data, sort the nine countries into four groups in your book: high income, upper-middle income, lower-middle income, and low income. Explain which indicators you found most useful for making your decisions, and which were least reliable. Then press the reveal button above to check.
2
Describe the pattern
Describe the relationship between GDP per capita and life expectancy shown in the data. Refer to at least three countries and use specific figures in your answer.
3
Identify an anomaly
Saudi Arabia has a very high GDP per capita but a relatively low adult literacy rate compared to other wealthy countries. Suggest one reason why GDP per capita alone does not give a complete picture of a country's development.
4
Compare two countries
Choose two countries from different income groups. Write a paragraph comparing their levels of development using at least three different indicators. Use the connective "however" or "in contrast" at least once.
5
Evaluate
"Economic indicators are more useful than social indicators for measuring development." Do you agree? Use evidence from the data table to support your answer.
Extension
Gapminder exploration — if you finish early
Use the same tool Hans Rosling used in the video.
Gapminder lets you plot any two development indicators against each other for every country in the world — and watch how the patterns change over time. Follow the steps below rather than just exploring freely.
Open Gapminder Tools ↗- 1Set the x-axis to Income per person (GDP per capita) and the y-axis to Life expectancy. Press play. What happens over time?
- 2Change the y-axis to Child mortality. How does the relationship change compared to life expectancy?
- 3Find all nine countries from the data table on the chart. Do they sit where you expected?
Write in your book: Choose one pattern you noticed on Gapminder that surprised you. Describe the pattern and suggest one geographical reason that might explain it.