Comparative Development Experiences of India and its Neighbours

Vocabulary and key demographic indicators comparing the development experiences of India, China, and Pakistan based on the lecture notes.

Density of population

The measure of the number of individuals living within a specific area, estimated in 2022 to be $150$ persons per square kilometer in China, $473$ in India, and $300$ in Pakistan.

Fertility rate

The average number of children that are born to a woman over her lifetime; in 2022, it was $2.0$ in India, $1.2$ in China, and $3.4$ in Pakistan.

Sex ratio

The number of females per $1,000$ male population in the country, which was estimated for 2022 as $938$ in India, $959$ in China, and $982$ in Pakistan.

Urbanisation

The process of making an area more urban, closely linked with structural transformation and the shift of the working force from agriculture to industry and services.

One Child Policy

A policy introduced in China in $1979$ to address population explosion; it reduced the growth rate from $1.33 \text{ per cent}$ in $1979$ to nearly $0.46 \text{ per cent}$ in $2017$ before being discontinued in early $2016$.

GDP (PPP)

Gross Domestic Product based on the purchasing power parity approach, which measures the total value of all goods and services produced, adjusted for differences in cost of living and inflation rates.

Propensity to save

The ratio between saving and GDP, which is noted as rising in the Chinese economy and contributing to a slowdown in domestic demand.

Structural transformation

A process characterized by a lower percentage of the workforce engaged in agriculture and a declining percentage contribution of agriculture to GDP.

HDI (Human Development Index)

A composite index sponsored by UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) to measure the level of development or welfare of the people via indicators of life expectancy, education, and per capita income.

Liberty indicators

Measures of the extent of demographic participation in social and political decision-making, including political liberty and freedom of speech.

Regional and global economic groupings

Associations of countries in a particular region having a common ideology regarding rules and regulations for exporting and importing goods, such as SAARC, European Union, ASEAN, G-8, G-20, and BRICS.

Maternal Mortality Rate

The number of women who die during child birth, measured as deaths per $1$ lakh births; in 2017-19, it was $103$ in India, $23$ in China, and $154$ in Pakistan.

Infant Mortality Rate

The number of children who die at birth, measured per $1,000$ live births; in 2017-19, it was $26.8$ in India, $5.1$ in China, and $52.5$ in Pakistan.