Measuring the World: Development Indicators Explained

Imagine two countries. Country A has enormous oil wealth — its government earns billions of dollars every year. Country B earns far less money, but almost every child there finishes school, hospitals are nearby, and people live well into their eighties. Which country is more 'developed'? That depends entirely on how you measure it. Geographers use specific pieces of data called development indicators to compare countries fairly and precisely.