Question
6. Is real GDP per person a sufficient measure of well-being? Economists tend to focus on real GDP per person as their primary way of
6. Is real GDP per person a sufficient measure of well-being?
Economists tend to focus on real GDP per person as their primary way of comparing living standards among countries. But they are also aware that real GDP per person does not capture many factors that affect the quality of life. Go to the CIA World Factbook's rank-order page at go tohttps://www.cia.gov/, select Library, Publications, The World Fact Book, and Guide to Country Comparisons. Scroll down to the People section. Click on "Infant mortality rate."
Write down the rank and the infant mortality rate for the following four countries: the United States, France, Mexico, and China.
Infant Mortality Rate | |||
Country | Total | Male | Female |
Mexico | 11.86 deaths/1000 live births | 13.11 deaths/1000 live births | 10.55 deaths/1000 live births |
China | 6.76 deaths/1000 live births | 7.19 deaths/1000 live births | 6.3 deaths/1000 live births |
United States | 5.17 deaths/1000 live births | 5.55 deaths/1000 live births | 4.77 deaths/1000 live births |
France | 3.15 deaths/1000 live births | 3.53 deaths/1000 live births | 2.74 deaths/1000 live births |
Go back to the People section and click on "Life expectancy at birth-total." For each of the four countries, write down its rank and life expectancy at birth.
Life Expectancy at Birth-Total | |||
Country | Total | Male | Female |
France | 82.59 years | 79.53 years | 85.79 years |
United States | 80.59 years | 78.36 years | 82.79 years |
China | 77.72 years | 75 years | 80.7 years |
Mexico | 72.32 years | 68.93 years | 75.88 years |
Now compare the data you just wrote down for infant mortality and life expectancy at birth with the GDP per person data shown in Global Perspective 21.1 on page 440 in your textbook. Does the country with the highest GDP per person have the lowest infant mortality or the highest life expectancy?
Per Figure 21.1(see image on the next page) The country with the highest GDP per person is the following:
- Switzerland:
- It ranked #194 (out of 227 countries) on the Infant Mortality rate list = 3.58; I would consider this rank LOW compared to the rest
- It ranked #12 (out of 227 countries) on the Life Expectancy at Birth list = 83.23; I would consider this rank HIGH compared to the rest
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