Sustainability Indicators

Social Development Indicators

Standards of living are difficult to measure, but indicators of social development are available. A basic measure, Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
per capita, is the value of all goods and services produced within a region over a given time period, averaged per person. A more advanced metric,
the Human Development Index (HDI), considers life expectancy, education, and GDP. The three highest HDI-ranked countries in the world are
Norway, Australia, and Switzerland.1 Many of the indicators discussed below are used to measure progress towards the Millennium Development
Goals (MDG), a set of targets agreed upon by United Nations member states as crucial for global human progress.

Population

World Population, Urban and Rural, 1950 to 20503,4

Population (billions)

The 2014 U.S. population is 318 million and world population is over 7 billion.2
12
Rural
Global population is projected to reach 9.5 billion by 2050, with 6.4 billion people
Urban
3,4
living in urban areasan 81% increase from 2010.
Significant issues affecting population, as reported by governments around the world
8
in 2007, include HIV/AIDS, infant and child mortality, maternal mortality, adolescent
fertility, and life expectancy at birth.5
4.5
Life expectancy is around 50 years in many developing countries; life expectancy in the
4
U.S. is 76 years.6
2.5
Fertility rate, or number of births per woman (of child-bearing age), is projected to fall
from a global average of 2.53 in 2010 to 2.24 by 2050. Fertility rates are as high as 7 in
39%
29%
0
some countries; the fertility rate in the U.S. is 2.06.3
1950
1980
Globally, contraceptive use is increasing. However, in 62 countries, 20-48% of women
of reproductive age dont have access to contraceptives.7
The U.S. is one of only six developed countries with an adolescent birth rate greater than 30 (per 1000 births).3

9.3
8.3
6.9

52%
2010

60%
2030

67%
2050

Standard of Living

In 2010, 1.2 billion people lived below the world poverty line of $1.25 USD per day, down from 1.9 billion in 1990.8
According to the Gini Index, Sweden, Norway, and Montenegro have among the most equal income distributions in the world. With a rating
of 40.8, the U.S. is ranks in the bottom 50% in terms of income equality.1
In 2012, 15% of the U.S. population46.5 million peoplewere living in poverty (income under $23,283 for a family of 4). For Hispanic and
Black populations in the U.S., more than 25% of each group was living below the poverty line.9
Approximately 610,042 people were homeless in the U.S. in 2013.10

Food

Fraction of Population Undernourished, 201211

Water and Sanitation

Deaths from Unsafe Water and Sanitation, 200417

Average proportion of income spent on food, beverages, and tobacco ranges

from 20% in high-income countries to 49% in low-income countries.12 On
average, Americans spend less than 10%, while Tanzanians spend 73%.13
Globally, 45% of deaths of children under 5 are caused by under-nutrition.14
The Green Revolution led to large increases in agricultural yields and helped
feed the rapidly growing global population in the second half of the 20th
century. Sub-Saharan Africa was the only developing region where increased
food production was primarily due to increased crop area, not crop yield.15
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization publishes a
comprehensive set of food security statistics annually.16
Approximately 2.5 billion people lack access to proper sanitation. Access is lowest
in sub-Saharan Africa, where only one in three people have proper facilities. Urban
areas also have better sanitation coverage80% have access to proper facilities,
compared to 47% in rural areas.18
In 2012, 89% of the world population had access to clean drinking water, an
increase of over 2 billion people since 1990. However, in Oceania and Sub-Saharan
Africa only 45% and 53% of the rural populations, respectively, have access to clean
drinking water.
Only 6% of the rural population in Sub-Saharan Africa has water piped directly into
their house or property.18

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Niger

71,700

Afghanistan

103,400

Iraq

26,600

India

693,300

Mexico

6,500

China

74,300

U.S.

9,600

0%

5%
10%
15%
20%
Percent of Total Deaths

25%

Healthcare and Disease

Official Development Assistance for Health

to Developing Nations
In 2007, 90% of national governments reported HIV/AIDS as a significant problem.5
16
Globally, 35 million people were infected with HIV and 1.6 million died from AIDS in 2012.
14
Most HIV cases25 millionare in sub-Saharan Africa. Globally, the number of new HIV
12
infections decreased 33% from 2001 to 2011, due to behavior changes and better treatment
Total ODA for Health
10
to Recipient Countries
options; however, in the Middle East and Northern Africa, the number of new infections has
8
increased more than 52% over the same time period.19
20,21
6
Diarrheal diseases kill 1.8 million annually; 84% are children under 5.
Most (88%)
4
infections are attributed to unsafe drinking water, improper sanitation services, and hygiene.21
MDG-6 related ODA:
Combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria,
In 2012, 627,000 died from malaria, of whom 90% lived in Africa and 77% were children
2
and Other Diseases
under 5. Preventive measures such as treated bed nets, indoor insecticide spraying, and anti0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
malarial drugs have reduced deaths. More than 24 countries have officially eliminated malaria
22
since 1960, and 52 countries are expected to reduce their malaria rates by 75% by 2015.
Indoor cooking with fuelwood and animal dung results in 2 million deaths per year, a majority of whom are women and children.23
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the world. A healthy diet, regular physical activity, and avoiding tobacco could
reduce the major risk factors associated with premature deaths from cardiovascular diseases and strokes.24
Globally, about 100 million people fall under the poverty line each year due to out-of-pocket health care costs.24
Official Development Assistance (ODA),
Health (billion 2009 US$)

25,26

Education and Employment

Adult Literacy Rates, 201127

Global literacy is significantly improving. Global youth literacy is 89%, up from 83% in
1990.28 The gap between female and male literacy rates is closing; however, women still
account for 60% of illiterate adults worldwide. In Afghanistan, the female illiteracy rate is
87%, the highest in the world.29
Lesotho and Cuba spend the highest percentage of GDP on education, with each
devoting about 13%. The U.S. spends around 5.4% each year.30
Between 1990 and 2012, primary school enrollment in Sub-Saharan Africa increased from
52% to 78%; the 2012 world average was 91%.28
In countries with Low Human Development, the average amount of schooling is 4.2
years. In Very High Human Development nations, the average is 11.7 years of school.1
Top employers in developing countries are agriculture (64%), services (26%), and industry
(10%); 60% of these jobs pay $1.25 USD/day or less.31

Environment

Most global warming is very likely (>90% certainty) caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In the 21st century, natural
and social systems will likely face increasing risks of extinction for 20-30% of plant and animal species; more coastal flooding and erosion,
heat waves, droughts, and tropical storm intensity; and health risks associated with malnutrition and water-related diseases. Declines in crop
productivity in lower latitudes and freshwater availability are likely. Poor communities are especially vulnerable to climate change because of
their low adaptive capacity and high dependence on climate conditions (e.g., rain for agriculture).32
The Stern Review found that investing 1% of global GDP annually in GHG reductions could avert a permanent reduction of 5-20% GDP per
capita due to climate change impacts.33 The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that regional GHG mitigation costs vary
considerably, but range from -1% (a net gain) to 5.5% of GDP on average globally.32

Conclusions

In 2000, the UN established eight Millenium Development Goals (MDGs), including reducing child mortality and ensuring environmental
sustainbility. Great progress has been made towards achieving these goals within the last decade.
Through 2013, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden continued to exceed giving 0.7% of their Gross National
Income (GNI) as Official Development Assistance (ODA) towards achieving the MDGs.28 The U.S. donates a lower percentage of GNI, but
the greatest dollar amount of any nation. In 2012, U.S. ODA totaled $31.5 billion.34
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

United Nations (UN) Development Programme (2014) Human Development Report 2014.
U.S. Census Bureau (2014) US and World Population Clocks.
UN Population Division (2013) World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision.
UN Population Division (2012) World Urbanization Prospects, The 2011 Revision, Highlights.
UN Population Division (2007) Population Newsletter December 2007.
World Health Organization (WHO) (2013) Global Health Observatory Data Repository: Life
Expectancy.
7. UN Population Division (2013) World Contraceptive Use 2013.
8. World Bank (2013) PovcalNet: Regional Aggregation using 2005 PPP and $1.25/day poverty line.
9. US Census Bureau (2013) Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States 2012.
10. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (2013) The 2013 Point-in-Time Estimates of
Homelessness: Volume I of the 2013 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report.
11. World Food Program (2012) Hunger Map 2012.
12. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service (2011) International Food Consumption
Patterns: Budget Shares for Broad Aggregates and Conditional Budget Shares for Food Categories.
13. World Bank (2008) Global Purchasing Power Parities and Real Expenditures: 2005 International
Comparison Program.
14. Black, R., et al. (2013) Maternal and child undernutrition and overweight in low-income and middleincome countries. The Lancet.
15. Evenson, R. and D. Gollin (2003) Assessing the Impact of the Green Revolution, 1960-2000. Science,
(300): 758-762.
16. UN Food and Agriculture Organization (2012) The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2012.

17. WHO (2010) Safer Water, Better Health: Costs, benefits and sustainability of interventions to protect

and promote health, 2010 Update.

18. WHO (2014) Progress on Sanitation and Drinking-Water: 2014 Update.
19. Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (2013) UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic 2013.
20. WHO (2004) Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Facts and Figures.
21. WHO (2009) Global Health Risks: mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks.
22. WHO (2013) World Malaria Report 2013.
23. UN Development Programme (2011) Human Development Report 2011.
24. WHO (2013) World Health Statistics 2013.
25. WHO (2013) Global Health Observatory Data Repository: Official Development Assistance for

Health.
26. WHO (2012) From Whom to Whom? Official Development Assistance for Health: Second Edition.
27. UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Institute for Statistics (2013)

Literacy Data for 2011 and U.S. CIA (2013) World Factbook.
28. UN (2014) Millennium Development Goals Report 2014.
29. International Labor Organization (2007) Educational Attainment and Illiteracy Indicator.
30. World Bank (2014) World Development Indicators: Public spending on education, total (% of GDP).
31. International Labour Organization (2011) Growth, Employment and Decent Work in the Least

Developed Countries.
32. IPCC (2007) Climate Change 2007: Synthesis Report.
33. Stern, N. et al. (2006) Stern Review: The Economics of Climate Change.
34. OECD (2014) StatExtracts: Total flows by donor.

Cite as: Center for Sustainable Systems, University of Michigan. 2014. Social Development Indicators Factsheet. Pub. No. CSS08-15.

October 2014