Development Issues Characteristics of developing countries

Development Issues Characteristics of developing countries

1. 1. Poor health and low access to health services

   • Availability of medical services are low. 2000-04: Niger- 2 physicians per 100 000 people Australia- 247 physicians per 100 000 people

2. 2.Low life expectancy at birth

   • Life expectancy 2005: Developed countries: 79.4 years Developing countries: 54.5 years

3. Infant mortality rates in 2005: 57 per 1000 live births (developing countries) 6 per 1000 live births (developed countries)

4. 3. High infant mortality rates

5. 4. Lower per capita income

   • Richest 20% of population: ¾ of world’s income Poorest 40% of population: Consumed only 5% of worlds income

6. 5. Poverty and indebtedness

   • Estimated 2.8 billion people live on less than US$2 a day, with majority in the the world’s economically poorer countries:

7. 6. High levels of illiteracy Adult literacy rate for the period 1996-2006 Developed countries: 99% Developing countries: 76.7%

8. 7. High rate of population growth Developing countries: Higher birth rate than wealthier countries. Annual population growth rate for high income countries projected to be 0.5% for 2005-15 compared to 1.3% for developing countries.

9. 8. Low levels of technology World’s poorest countries: Labour- intensive methods of production. (agriculture and industry)

10. 9. Emphasis on primary production Developing countries: Greater percentage is in agricultural activities. E.g. 2004: Sub-saharan Africa: 58% East Asia & Pacific: 58%