Characteristics of Developed & Developing Nations

Characteristics of Developed & Developing Nations

1. Infant Mortality Rate

   • Developed Nations: The infant mortality rate of most developed countries are around 1%. (Cunningham)
   • Developing Nations: The infant mortality rate in developing countries can be as low as 7 and as high as 64. (World Bank)
     • Cause: The huge range in the infant mortality rate is because there is often an unequal division between metropolitan and rural areas in developing countries
   • Definition: Percentage of the population who are over 15 that can read and write
   • Affecting factors: Access to healthcare, level of sanitation, Amount of diseases (Cunningham)

2. Access to Health Care

   • Healthcare is a very important character of a country as it is connected to many other characters of a country such as infant mortality rate and amount of diseases.
   • Developed Nations: The population has easier access to healthcare as the government has a bigger budget allocation to medical needs.
   • Developing Nations: Some developing nations have better healthcare systems than others. In some developing nations, there is less access to healthcare as there are many small villages that are far from hospitals/clinics.

3. Literacy Rate

   • Definition: Percentage of population who are over 15 that can read and write
   • Developed Nations: Average literacy rate of 95%-100% literacy rate
   • Developing Nations: Average literacy rate of as low as 30% and as high as 95%
   • Impact of Access to Education on Literacy Rate: A main factor that affects a country’s literacy rate is access to education. In some countries, the majority of children only finish primary education. Other countries also do not allow female students to attend school.

4. Population Growth Rate

   • Definition: The rate at which a country's population grows
   • Developing Nations: Developing nations have a slightly higher population growth rate than developed nations.
     • Cause: Even though they are developed, there are still undeveloped areas where family planning is not mainstream.
   • Developed Nations: Developed countries have a mediocre to slow population growth
     • Cause: Low birth rates are the cause of the slow population growth rate. The low birth rate is due to the high cost of living in developed and developing nations which causes couples to want less or no children at all. Women in developed countries also need to focus on working so they can earn enough to support themselves.