Development

Different goals of development, per capita income and its limits, infant mortality and literacy, the HDI, public facilities and sustainability.

Key ideas

People have different, sometimes conflicting, goals of development: more income, but also security, equal treatment, freedom and a clean environment.
Per capita income is a country’s total income divided by its population; the World Bank uses it to compare countries.
Average income hides how income is shared and says nothing about health or education.
The infant mortality rate and the literacy rate show how well people are cared for and taught.
The UNDP’s Human Development Index compares countries on health, education and income.
Public facilities like schools, health care and clean water are cheaper and fairer when provided for everyone; Kerala shows their value.
Development must be sustainable: groundwater is being overused and crude oil will run out.

Remember

Per capita income	total income ÷ population
Infant Mortality Rate	deaths before age one per 1,000 live births
Literacy rate	share of people aged 7 and above who can read and write
Body Mass Index	weight (kg) ÷ height (m)²
HDI	life expectancy, education and income (UNDP)

Watch out

Treating average income as the whole story: check health and education too.
Using IMR per 100: it is per 1,000 live births.
Calling groundwater non-renewable: it is renewable, but used faster than it refills.

Worked example

Bihar had an IMR of 27 per 1,000 live births (2020) and literacy of 62% (2017–18). (a) At that IMR, how many of 46,000 babies would die before age one? (b) How many of 74,000 people aged 7+ would be literate? (c) Why is income not the only measure of development?

Working: 46,000 ÷ 1,000 × 27; 62% of 74,000

Answer: (a) 1,242 (b) 45,880 (c) Health, education and public services also matter; a state with lower income can do better on them.