Development and inequality
How do you compare people’s lives without relying on income alone?
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What does development mean?
Development is change that can improve people’s lives. Income is one part. Health, education, freedom and access to services also matter.
An indicator is a measure that gives us evidence about one part of life. Use several indicators to build a clearer picture.
| Indicator | What it measures | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|
| GNI per person | A country’s income divided by its population | An average can hide large income gaps. |
| Life expectancy at birth | Expected years of life under current mortality rates | It is a population measure, not a prediction for one person. |
| HDI | A combined measure of health, education and income | One score still hides differences within a country. |
GNI means gross national income. HDI means Human Development Index. UNDP’s HDI uses life expectancy, years of schooling and GNI per person. It does not include every part of wellbeing. Read UNDP’s definition
Two places, one average
In an invented village, five annual incomes are 2, 2, 2, 2 and 22 thousand units. The mean is 6 thousand units, but four people earn only 2 thousand. The median is 2 thousand.
Calling everyone “well off” because of the mean would miss this gap. Check who benefits, not just whether the national average rises.
Check you’ve got it
Two countries have similar GNI per person. Must their HDI be the same?
Check your answer
No. Health and education can differ. Compare the indicators and their dates before explaining the contrast.
Part 1 of 3
Choose a suitable indicator
Development includes income, health, education and opportunity. GNI per person describes an average income measure; life expectancy and educational indicators answer different questions.
HDI combines health, education and income dimensions. No single indicator reveals every regional or household difference.
Worked example
Fictional incomes of 1, 1, 1, 1 and 16 units have mean 4 and median 1. The mean does not describe the typical household well in this unequal distribution.
Common mistake: A national average is not an amount received by every resident.
Part 2 of 3
Trace industrial and trading change
Primary, secondary and tertiary activities connect through production and services. Factories can create jobs and make goods to sell abroad. They may also depend on imported parts and decisions made in another country.
A transnational corporation (TNC) operates in more than one country. TNC investment, trade and aid can all affect development. Check training, taxes, working conditions and environmental effects as well as how much is produced.
Worked example
A fictional export sells for 100 units, with 60 spent on imported components. The remaining 40 is not automatically worker pay; it also covers other domestic costs and returns.
Common mistake: Gross export value is not the same as income retained locally.
Part 3 of 3
Evaluate a development strategy
Tourism, new businesses, fair trade and better services can help places develop. Debt relief can reduce what a country must repay. Who benefits depends on who can take part, how decisions are made and whether demand lasts.
Use Nigeria’s national evidence and Rwanda’s tourism evidence at their own scales. A project outcome cannot establish national equality.
Worked example
Fictional household spending rises from 100 to 110 while prices rise from 100 to 120. Its purchasing-power index is 110 ÷ 120 × 100 = 91.7, below the baseline.
Common mistake: Higher nominal income can accompany lower purchasing power.
Try a different resource
Choropleth maps
The shading represents a percentage of households, not a total. Each class includes its lower boundary and excludes its upper boundary: a value of 20 belongs in 20–30, not 10–20.
Scroll the diagram sideways to see the full resource.
| District | Reported damage (%) | Households |
|---|---|---|
| A | 7 | 1000 |
| B | 11 | 500 |
| C | 25 | 500 |
| D | 31 | 100 |
Resource description
A–D use these non-overlapping classes: 0 to less than 10%; 10 to less than 20%; 20 to less than 30%; 30 to less than 40%. A has 1,000 households and D has 100 households.
Write an explanation
Check your answer
- Use income and non-income evidence.
- Explain production and trading connections.
- Identify winners, exclusions and environmental costs.
- Evaluate strategy outcomes with a clear scale and period.
Practise and review a written answer
Case studies
Nigeria: economic change and uneven development · Nature-based tourism in Rwanda · Viet Nam and global value chains
These pages provide selected evidence. Check the whole case requirement with your teacher.
Read further
- hdr.undp.org — source or course reference
- www.aqa.org.uk — source or course reference
- www.aqa.org.uk — source or course reference
- qualifications.pearson.com — source or course reference
- www.sqa.org.uk — source or course reference
- www.sqa.org.uk — source or course reference
- qualifications.pearson.com — source or course reference
- www.ocr.org.uk — source or course reference
- www.ocr.org.uk — source or course reference
- www.eduqas.co.uk — source or course reference
- www.eduqas.co.uk — source or course reference
- www.eduqas.co.uk — source or course reference
Measuring development · Global value chains · Matching evidence to a claim
Course links
AQA GCSE Geography · Pearson Edexcel GCSE Geography B · National 5 Geography · Higher Geography · Pearson Edexcel GCSE Geography A · OCR GCSE Geography A · OCR GCSE Geography B · Eduqas GCSE Geography A · Eduqas GCSE Geography B · Eduqas A-level Geography
Next topics
Globalisation: flows, value capture and dependence · Urban growth and change
Selected teaching sequence with fictional worked data. The linked case records supply bounded evidence; they do not satisfy every course case requirement.
Scottish links identify reusable parts of the topic. Scottish landforms, soil, weather and disease requirements need additional course-specific teaching.