Gapminder Screencast and Analysis

Gapminder Graph #1

In the x-axis poverty percentage (percentage of a country's population in poverty) takes place and in the y-axis literacy rate percentage of adults above the age of 15 takes place. The literacy rate gives a great insight into how highly educated the country is and typically when people are more educated the less likely they are going to fall into poverty. And education is a service the country provides and so if the country is uneducated it is likely that the country isn't developed or economically developed enough to provide that service. As the literacy rate rises, poverty falls.

Chart Analysis: Globally the world moves to less poverty and higher education just over the last two or three decades. Regions like the Americas and West Europe has always provided higher education for their citizens in the last century, but countries like India and China have made huge progress in their education and therefore less poverty is evident. And while most countries have had a drop in poverty with education provided, some countries have experienced a slight increase in poverty due to economic stresses in some years but have moved from that since. Because employers are only willing to hire able bodied persons with a basic education in whatever field of work. countries have actively moved forward in their efforts of education to keep their country economically active in the global market. Attempting to attract employers to their country. And because a country is more advanced, providing more care for it's citizens and more economic opportunity is available, so less people are going to be living in poverty.


Gapminder Graph #2

In the x-axis GDP/Capita takes place indicating typically how wealthy one person may be and in the y-axis a Human Development Index (HDI) takes place indicating how developed a country may be out of a one point scale. The two statistics are directly correlated to each other. If the average citizen has a higher income, it is more likely the country may be more economically active. With a country's income high, it is able to provide care for it's citizens increasing the Human Development Index. As the GDP/Capita rises, the HDI also rises.

Chart Analysis: In the last 30 years dating from 1980 the world has significantly experienced a steady increase in their GDP/Capita and HDI. Most countries follow this similar pattern of steady growth over the last half century. Measured in the U.S. Dollar, similar to the previous chart, the Americas and Europe began as the most economically advanced but have had similar percentage of growth as the African states who began with a very low GDP/Capita. Provided, the reader can make an assumption that the world all moves forward together in growth but might be placed differently in development. Specifically, placement in the development scale is determined by pre-development growth. Meaning that the countries ahead in the HDI experienced a growth before the rest, taking their place early somewhere between the 18-20th century. Giving a greater meaning to the term neocolonialism, that a developed country remotely restricts the development of poorer countries. That is why a less fortunate country cannot experience the same novelties as a developed one but follows the same growth pattern.

-Evan Johnson