4.2 Characteristics of developing countries

Social sciences

Grade 6

Trade and development

Module 12

Characteristics of developing countries

1. Characteristics of Developing Countries

1. L ow life expectancy – is measured against the average age that the individual is expected to reach.

Complete and study the following table:

Activity 1:

To draw conclusions from statistics

[LO 1.2, 1.5, 2.2]

Have a group discussion and write a short paragraph on your findings.

developed countries allocate a great deal of money to the health services budget, therefore fewer babies die at birth and in early infancy. more people have a longer life expectansy in these countries, because they have access to good preventative medical care.

2. Low standard of education

Education and training determine the standard according to which the population of a country functions and produces goods and services. One must remember that there are approximately 80 million children in the poor South who do not go to school at all, therefore one can understand why poor countries are faced with unemployment. Without the necessary training people cannot be prepared for a vocation. This means that such people have no chance of improving their own conditions.

3. Poor health care

The percentage of a country’s budget that is allocated to health services largely determines the standard of health care in that country. If we consider the average percentage of 4% in developing countries as opposed to the 96% in developed countries as shown on the graph on page 12, it is easy to understand why the hospitals in many poor countries are in such a shocking condition. There are simply not enough doctors and facilities for the number of inhabitants of the countries.

Interesting statistics

4.. Unemployment

Have you seen this somewhere?

Over-population and low literacy are some of the main causes of unemployment. Everybody would like to have a job in order to make money to earn a living. People who are unemployed cannot be self-supporting and therefore they are unable to make any contribution to the economy of the country.

5. Poor nutrition and limited access to safe water

Only 43% of the world’s food production comes from countries that accommodate 80% of the global population. This, together with the low life expectancy and inadequate education and training, as well as insufficient industries, provides a recipe for malnutrition (a condition that arises when people do not eat enough nourishing food). Approximately 30% of the children in the poor South do not have enough food to eat every day.

In developing countries many people are dependent on a stream or a river for their daily supply of fresh water. The water from these sources is not always safe and clean and if people use the water just as it is, it could lead to outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, which cause many deaths every year.