4.8.2—Single development indicators

Single indicators answer narrow development questions.

GDP per capita, life expectancy, literacy, unemployment and access measures each describe one aspect and require units, price basis and population context.

Example

Two countries can have the same GDP per capita but different life expectancy; the indicator comparison is informative only after checking distribution and data quality.

State what the indicator measures and what it leaves out before using it as evidence.

A single indicator is not a complete ranking of human welfare.

Use the syllabus indicator families deliberately: GDP or GNI per person at PPP compares average material income after purchasing-power adjustment; health indicators may include life expectancy or mortality; education indicators may include years of schooling or literacy; inequality indicators describe economic or social distribution; energy indicators show access, use or sources; environmental indicators track pressures or outcomes. Match the indicator to the question, check whether higher or lower is desirable, and do not combine unlike units without an explicit method.