Fig. 1 GDP per capita and life expectancy study figure58P: $4 000, 58 years64Q: $10 000, 64 years71R: $18 000, 71 years68S: $29 000, 68 years80T: $35 000, 8...
Question 1 Report
A regional planning office compared two countries before deciding where to fund a health-resource project. Fig. 1 is a scatter diagram from its study. It compares GDP per capita with life expectancy for six countries. GDP per capita is the value of goods and services produced per person in one year, expressed in US dollars. Country S has high GDP per capita, but its plotted life expectancy is lower than that of Country R. The planner warns that a figure based on national wealth needs careful interpretation.
(a) Identify the country with the highest life expectancy in Fig. 1. [1]
(b) State the approximate GDP per capita of Country R. [2]
(c) Describe the relationship between GDP per capita and life expectancy shown by the study figure. [3]
(d) Which country is an anomaly to the overall pattern because it has a relatively high GDP per capita but lower life expectancy? [1]
(e) Explain two limitations of using GDP per capita to compare development in the countries shown. [6]
(f) Describe two ways in which access to a health resource could raise life expectancy in a lower-income country. [4]
(g) Explain why the planning office should use HDI as well as the data in Fig. 1 when selecting its project location. [3]
Answer Details
(a) Country T has the highest life expectancy, at 80 years. [1]
(b) Country R has a GDP per capita of about US$18 000 to US$20 000. The plotted value is approximately US$18 000. [2]
(c) The figure shows a positive correlation: countries with higher GDP per capita generally have higher life expectancy. However, there is variation, shown by Country S, which has relatively high GDP per capita but lower life expectancy than Country R. [3]
(d) The anomaly is Country S. [1]
(e) GDP per capita is a national average, so it can conceal inequality between rich and poor people; many people may have low incomes despite a high average. GDP may also exclude informal or unpaid production, so output can be underestimated. Most importantly, it measures output or income, rather than health or education, so it does not directly measure human welfare. Any two explained limitations. [6]
(f) Clinics and vaccination can prevent or treat disease, reducing early deaths. Safe water and sanitation reduce water-borne illness, so more people survive longer. Trained maternity care can reduce maternal and infant deaths. Any two developed explanations. [4]
(g) HDI includes life expectancy as a health measure and also includes education. Combining health and education with income gives a more balanced comparison of development than the GDP data alone. [3]
Exam focus: A positive correlation is a general pattern, not proof that GDP causes life expectancy to rise in every country.
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