Section B: The Changing Economic World

What are the 5 social development indicators?

literacy rate, people per doctor, access to safe water, IMR, life expectancy

What is literacy rate, what is its global variations and what are its limitations?

• % of people with basic reading and writing skills.

• Most EU countries: 99%, figure can be as low as 40-50% in some LICs.

• Carrying out surveys to determine literacy rate is difficult in rural areas, especially in conflict zones/squatter settlements in LICs.

What is people per doctor, what is its global variations and what are its limitations?

• The no. of people who depend on a single doctor for their healthcare needs.

• 1:350 in UK, but 1:5,000 in Afghanistan.

• In India and other NEEs, people are using their phones for healthcare advice instead, which is not taken into account.

What is access to safe water, what is its global variations and what are its limitations?

• No. of people with access to safe water supply which does not carry a health risk like cholera.

• In EU, all citizens must have access to it by law, but in Angola, just 34% have access.

• Flooding and poor maintenance may decrease water quality. Rising costs in some cities mean poorer residents must use unsafe water supplies, which official data may underestimate.