Development vs social development
Development means âchangeâ. Often, development is best measured using wealth as an indicator Figures/statistics which tell us about how developed a country may be, eg life expectancy is an indicator which tells us how long people live on average in a country.. The wealth of a country can easily be compared using the economic indicatorEconomic indicators refer to money, jobs and the economic status of a country. of gross domestic product (GDPGDP (Gross Domestic Product) is the measure of the market value of all final goods and services produced in a period of time within a country. ). In 2016, according to the United Nations (UN) the USA was the wealthiest country in the world.
Social development is often much harder to measure. This is because instead of using economic indicators, which are often reliable, and inform us of the state of a countryâs economy, measuring social development assesses how developed the peopleâs lives are within a country or region. Just because a country has a large GDP, does not mean that all the people within that country are also wealthy. There may be regions where extreme povertyPoverty is a state when someone lacks a certain amount of money. Extreme poverty is someone who earns less than $1.90 a day. exists, or where people have limited access to education. This is why understanding social development is important to geographers.
Factors influencing development
The factors influencing a countryâs development are often complex. Social, historical, political and economic factors all have a role to play. Understanding these reasons and why a country may be poor is also a way to help it to develop.