Gapminder Screencast and Analysis

Video 1: As life expectancy increase, improved sanitation (all) also increase

Video 2: As GDP per capita rises, child mortality falls.

The first two factors I chose were Life Expectancy and Improved Sanitation (overall access). Life Expectancy is the measure of the average number of years a newborn child would live if current mortality patterns were to stay the same, which is measured in years. Improved Sanitation (overall access) is the percentage of people that have at least adequate access to excreta disposal facilities, which can prevent human, animal, and insect contact with excreta, this is measure in a percentage. Life Expectancy is important to look at because it indicates that people will either live a long or short time, which has to do with overall health and can show that some countries do not have the right economic levels to be healthy enough to live a long time. Improved Sanitation (overall access) is important to look at because once a country has a good economy, it can invest in infrastructure. Overall access is important because it is not just referring only to the wealthy people, but it is also referring to poor which shows overall well-being.

The second two factors I chose were GDP per Capita and Child Mortality. GDP per Capita stands for Gross Domestic Product per person. The inflation and differences in the cost of living between countries has been taken into account. It is measured in international dollars. This is important to look at because is shows how how much money a country makes and per capita is important because wealth is unevenly distributed and it shows how much an average person would make. Child Mortality is the probability that a child born in a specific year will die before reaching the age of five if subject to current age-specific mortality rates. This is expressed as a rate per 1,000 live births. This is important to look at because it shows how healthy a country is because children under the age of five can get sick easily so to survive they need to have a clean environment which can be obtained with a good economy.

Generally, the countries with the highest Life Expectancy and Improved Sanitation are in Europe and Central Asia, an exception is Russia. Generally the countries with the lowest Life Expectancy and Improved Sanitation are in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the exception of Mauritius, which is within the cluster of the highest countries. All the countries follow the same general pattern of the higher improved sanitation the higher life expectancy except war stricken countries, like Rwanda, that have a period of downwards movement. Overall, the MDCs have higher Life Expectancy and Improved Sanitation than LDCs.

Generally, the countries with the highest GDP per Capita and and lowest Child Mortality are in the Americas, Europe, Central and East Asia, and Pacific, but there is also a couple of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa including Seychelles. Also some countries in the Americas, including Haiti, are in the lowest cluster of countries. Mostly Sub-Saharan Africa is in the worst position of Child Mortality and GDP per Capita. Most of the countries follow the same pattern of higher GDP per Capita the lower amount of Child Mortality with the exception of some. In the 1950s Kuwait experienced a great increase of GDP per Capita, it is now still in the cluster of the top countries but not nearly as ahead as it was in the 1950s. Overall, the MDCs have higher GDP per Capitas' and lower Child Mortality than LDCs.

Some reasons for the patterns we see are because the world is getting more developed and safer to live in. Some reasons for jumps down in Life Expectancy, Child Mortality, GDP per Capita, and Improves Sanitation are, war, displacement, and economic recessions. Also, to support Jared Diamond’s theory, the regions and countries that are in the poorest conditions generally have hard climates to live in. Other reasons for disparities are countries becoming newly independent and bad investments.