Developing Country Flashcards
Characteristics
Poverty
3/4 of the world’s population have incomes which are considerably lower than those in the developed world
High population growth
Birth and death rates are higher than in the developed world
Agricultural dominance
About 70% of the population live off land. Agriculture is largely at subsistence level
Lack of industrial capital
And hence a lack of investment in factories, offices and machinery
Lack of infrastructure
There is a shortage of social capital eg roads, railways, sewage disposal, schools and electricity
High dependence on one or two exports
These are usually primary products such as food or raw materials eg Madagascar is vanilla
Types of aid given to developing countries
Gifts - of foodstuff for humanitarian reasons
Grants and loans- grants don’t have to be paid back and have no condition on how they are spent because of corruption
Writing off debt- a recent initiative has seen the US and British govt write off debts of certain countries on condition that the money saved is used to relief poverty
Tied aid- grants and loans may be tied on the purchase of equipment from the donor country
Technical assistance and education- technical experts may give technical advice and wealthier nations provide facilities and finance for overseas students to attend universities
Gdp per capita for developing countries in 2007
Niger was $260 GDP per capita
Burundi was $100 GDP per capita
GDP per capita in 2024
Dr congo $744 GDP per capita
Burundi $156 GDP per capita
Developed country
Is one where real per capita income is very high compared with that of a developing country. These countries have a high manufacturing and industrialised base. They are a high wage economies with excellent health and education facilities
Emerging economy
Is one where the real per capita income is beginning to increase compared with that of a developing country. They are catching up with manufacturing and their citizens are attending university and college in large numbers. Their young workers have a tendency to seek work overseas
A developing country
Is one where real per capita income is low compared with that of an industrialised country. These countries are heavily dependent on one or two main exports and do not yet fully integrated health or education systems
