Use of Social & Economic Development Indicators (SQA National 5 Geography): Revision Note

Specification checklist

This page covers what you need to know from the SQA National 5 geography specification to answer questions on:

• Use of social and economic indicators.

What is a development indicator?

• Development refers to a country's progress in improving the standard of living and quality of life of its population

• The quality of life includes subjective factors like happiness

• A country's level of development is measured using the following indicators:

  • Social indicators (for example, life expectancy)

  • Economic indicators (for example, Gross Domestic Product (GDP))

  • Combined indicators which use a range of measures

Types of social development indicators

• Social indicators provide a more complete picture of a country's development

• They show how the country's money helps its people

  • Life expectancy at birth

  • Literacy - the % of people who can read and write

  • Infant mortality

  • People per doctor

  • Quality of life and social well-being

  • Equal opportunities; access to services such as education and healthcare

Life expectancy

• Life expectancy is the average age a person can be expected to live when they are born

  • Various factors impact life expectancy

    • Physical and human environmental factors

    • Personal lifestyle

    • Incidence of disease

    • Access to healthcare

• Life expectancy is higher in developed countries than in developing countries

Infant mortality

• The infant mortality rate refers to the number of children per 1000 live births who die before the age of 1

• Over 18 countries have an infant mortality rate of over 50 per 1000

  • These are all developing countries

  • Most of these countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa

• Infant mortality rates are higher in developing countries than in developed countries due to:

  • Less access to healthcare

  • Poorer diets

  • Less access to clean water

  • Poorer sanitation

Literacy rate

• Literacy rate is a measure of the percentage of people over 15 years old who can read and write

  • In developed countries, literacy rates average 96%

  • Developing countries have average literacy rates of 65%

• This can be hard to measure in developing countries due to a lack of monitoring

  • Conflict zones and informal settlements are particular areas where it is difficult to measure literacy rates

• In developing countries:

  • Access to schools is more difficult, particularly in rural areas

  • People are less likely to be able to afford to send their children to school

  • Children are more likely to miss school due to illness or by helping the family with farming or fetching water

  • Children, particularly girls, are less likely to attend secondary school

People per doctor

• People per doctor is the number of people each doctor is responsible for treating in a country or region

• A lower number (more doctors per person) usually means that a country is more developed because it means that the healthcare system is stronger

• However, it is a limited measure because

  • People may access healthcare advice through mobile phones or other methods that aren't reflected in the official doctor count

  • Access to healthcare may be limited for certain populations due to insurance or socioeconomic factors

  • The ratio can vary significantly between urban and rural areas within a country

Types of economic development indicators

• Economic indicators relate to income, job security and standards of living

• However, some of these are averages of a population and do not take into account inequalities such as unequal wealth

  • The % of people employed in agriculture

  • Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

  • GDP per capita (average income)

Employment in agriculture

• Mechanisation leads to fewer people being employed in agriculture, a primary activity

  • This is more common in developed countries, where farmers have sufficient income to buy machines like combine harvesters and tractors

• In developed countries, fewer people work in agriculture because they can afford to import food

  • The UK imports over 40% of its food supply

• More people in developed countries work in secondary and tertiary activities, which often pay higher wages, leading to a better standard of living

• In developing countries, where more people are employed in agriculture, this leads to low incomes and reduced economic development

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total value of goods and services produced within a country in a year

  • A higher GDP usually indicates a wealthier and more developed country

  • High GDP is often the result of a country having many industries producing high-value goods

  • The money can then be invested in services, such as education and healthcare

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita

• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is the total value of goods and services produced within a country in a year, divided by the population of the country

  • There can be huge differences in GDP depending on the size and population of a country

  • Dividing it by the population means that more meaningful comparisons can be made between countries

• GDP per capita is an average; this means that the variation in wealth is hidden

  • It is possible that two countries can have the same average GDP per capita but that one has a few very wealthy people and lots of people living in poverty, whereas the other has a more equal distribution of wealth

Types of combined indicators of development

Human Development Index (HDI)

• The UN created the Human Development Index (HDI) in 1990 as a better way of measuring differences between countries

• The index takes into account four indicators of development:

  • Life expectancy at birth indicates the overall health of a country

  • Mean years of schooling for adults aged 25 years

    • It is a measure of the educational level of a population's adults

  • Expected years of schooling for a child of school entrance age (the number of years of schooling that a child of school entrance age can expect to receive)

    • It shows how well the younger generation will do in school

  • Gross National Income (GNI) per capita (PPP$)

• Countries can be divided into four groups using the HDI

  • Very High Human Development (VHHD) 

  • High Human Development (HHD)

  • Medium Human Development (MHD)

  • Low Human Development (LHD)

• HDI is scored from 0 to 1 

• The higher the HDI, the higher the level of development and quality of life

  • Norway has the highest HDI at 0.957  (2024)

  • Niger has the lowest HDI at 0.394 (2024)

• The index only takes into account four indicators of development and the statistics provided by some countries may be unreliable and subjective

• It is a general measure based on average calculations

  • It does not take into account disparities (differences) that might exist within a country

  • It does not take into account environmental or political measures

  • Some consider it still to be too simple and biased in favour of HICs, as income is weighted

Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI)

• Developed in the 1970s, the PQLI is a composite index which measures the physical well-being of a population

• The index takes into account three indicators of development:

  • Life expectancy at age 1

  • Infant mortality rate

    • A lower infant mortality rate is an indicator of better healthcare, sanitation and nutrition

  • Basic literacy rate

    • This is a measure of the educational level of a population's adults

    • Higher literacy leads to better job opportunities and improved living standards

• The PQLI is measured on a scale of 0 to 100

  • The lowest score is 0 and the highest is 100