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How do we measure development, and why are some countries richer than others?

Measures of development, the Demographic Transition Model, the causes of uneven development, and the strategies used to reduce the global development gap.

A focused answer to AQA GCSE Geography 3.2.2, covering economic and social measures of development, the Demographic Transition Model, the physical, economic and historical causes of uneven development, and strategies to reduce the development gap.

Generated by Claude Opus 4.89 min answer

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  1. What this dot point is asking
  2. Measuring development
  3. The Demographic Transition Model
  4. Causes of uneven development
  5. Reducing the development gap
  6. Try this

What this dot point is asking

This is AQA GCSE Geography (8035) Paper 2, Section B (3.2.2 The changing economic world). AQA expects you to define development and the indicators used to measure it (including the numerical and statistical skills to calculate them), interpret the Demographic Transition Model, explain the physical, economic and historical causes of uneven development between countries, and outline the strategies used to reduce the development gap.

Measuring development

No single measure is perfect. GNI per head is found by dividing a country's total Gross National Income by its population: GNI per head=total GNIpopulation\text{GNI per head} = \frac{\text{total GNI}}{\text{population}}. It is useful but hides inequality (a high average can mask many poor people alongside a rich few) and ignores the informal economy. Social indicators such as literacy rate, life expectancy and infant mortality capture quality of life better, which is why the Human Development Index (HDI) combines income, education and life expectancy into a single figure between 0 and 1. Examiners often ask you to calculate or interpret these figures, so the numerical skills (percentages, per-head calculations) are part of this topic.

The Demographic Transition Model

Causes of uneven development

Development is uneven because of a mix of factors:

  • Physical: a poor climate (drought or extreme weather), few raw materials, being landlocked, or frequent natural hazards.
  • Economic: reliance on exporting low-value primary products, unfair trade and crippling debt.
  • Historical: colonialism, which exploited resources and held back industrial development in many countries.

Reducing the development gap

Strategies to reduce the development gap include attracting investment from transnational corporations, industrial development, tourism, aid and debt relief, fair trade, microfinance loans to small businesses, and intermediate (appropriate) technology that local people can afford and maintain. Many countries also progress through stages: as wealth rises, birth and death rates fall (the DTM), the economy shifts from primary to secondary and tertiary work, and indicators such as life expectancy and literacy improve.

Try this

Q1. State one economic and one social measure of development. [2 marks]

  • Cue. Economic: GNI per head. Social: literacy rate or life expectancy.

Q2. Explain one historical cause of uneven development. [3 marks]

  • Cue. Colonialism exploited a country's resources and prevented it building its own industry, leaving it poorer after independence.

Exam-style practice questions

Practice questions written in the style of AQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.

AQA 20184 marksA country has a population of 25,000,000, a GNI of $90,000,000,000 and 7,500,000 people in primary employment. Calculate the GNI per head and the percentage of the workforce in primary employment. (Paper 2, Section B)
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A 4-mark quantitative skills question (AO4) testing the development indicators used in this topic. Markers award method as well as the final figures.

GNI per head is total GNI divided by population: 90{,}000{,}000{,}000 \div 25{,}000{,}000 = \3{,}600perhead(2marksforthecorrectcalculationandvalue).Thepercentageinprimaryemploymentistheprimaryworkersdividedbythepopulation,times100: per head (2 marks for the correct calculation and value). The percentage in primary employment is the primary workers divided by the population, times 100: \frac{7{,}500{,}000}{25{,}000{,}000} \times 100 = 30%$ (2 marks). Markers reward showing the working, so even an arithmetic slip can earn method marks. Always include the unit (dollars per head, percent) and round sensibly.

AQA 20216 marksExplain how physical and historical factors can cause uneven development between countries. (Paper 2, Section B)
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A 6-mark question assessing AO1 and AO2. Markers reward developed reasons across both factor types, with cause-and-effect links.

Award credit for physical factors: a poor climate (drought or extreme weather) limits farming and triggers disease; being landlocked raises trade costs; few raw materials limit income; and frequent natural hazards destroy investment. For historical factors: colonialism exploited a country's resources, exported the profits and prevented it building its own industry, leaving it dependent on low-value primary exports after independence. The lift to 6 marks is to explain how each factor keeps a country poorer (the link), not just to list factors. The strongest answers give a developed example of each.

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