World Bank Document

and North Africa cover the spec- growth during the 1970s should regions account for the bulk oftrum of average incomes-from ensure fairly rapid expansion in commercial borrowing by devel-Kuwait, among the richest coun- the 1980s. oping countries, with Mexico,tries in the world, to Afghanistan, Growth in East Asia and Latin Argentina, Brazil, South Koreaone ol the poorest. Growth has America has in general been excel- and Venezuela alone accountingbeen rapid even in the non-oil lent. Strong economic management for 44 percent of the total in 1979.countries, which benefited from meant that these were the only Another crucial international intheoil boom through migrants' regions in which oil importers grew fluence on their growth prospects,remittances and inflows of official faster in the 1970s than in the both directly and through its efandprivate capital. (About 10 1960s. The adjustment period will fect on credit-worthiness, is worldpercent of the people in the region see a slowdown in their growth, demand for their manufacturedare directly dependent on remit- but by the mid-1980s their pros- exports.tances, which are often large-an pects look quite good-so long as The major East Asian exportersaverage of $4,000 a year per good management and political alone accounted for more than 40Moroccan migrant, for example.) stability are maintained, and so percent of developing-countryIn the 1970s GNP per person in long as growth in world trade and manufactured exports in 1977;the region rose 4.9 percent a year; capital flows to developing coun- despite some protectionism inhigher real oil prices meant that tries also pick up by then. industrial countries, they havegrowth in purchasing power was Growth in both Latin America sustained rapid export growth byhigher still (see box on page 4). and East Asia depends heavily on diversifying their product lines.The same factors that spurred commercial finance. The two This flexibility allowed them tomaintain growth in the 1970sdespite slower growth in the worldSex, length of life and developmentas a whole. It also means theyhave more freedom than otherIn developed countries, women live longer with the extent of education, especially non-oil developing countries tothan men-on average by more than six for women.years. This is not so in all developingcountries, especially the poorest onesoil prices by greater borrowing or(see table). In most of South Asia, women Excess of female over male life by increasing their exports (andon average die two to three years sooner expectancy, selected countries, 1970s intensifying import substitution).than men. In low-income Indonesia, Region Differencethough, women live longer than men. and country in years Human development: regional issuesIn most middle-income countries, South Asiaapart from those in the Middle East and Bangladesh -2.0 Some countries in East Asia andLatin America have achieved levelsconsiderably since the time of some of Sri Lanka 3.0 of literacy and life expectancythese estimates), women live substantially East Asia comparable to those in the indus-North Africa (where incomes have risen India -2.5longer than men. In East Asia and Latin Indonesia 2.0 trialized countries. In all the threeAmerica, moreover, this has been so for Peninsular Malaysia 4.5as long as statistics are available. But South Korea 6.0 regions absolute poverty has beenthe female advantage has increased-for Thailand 6.0 reduced significantly but remainsexample, in Argentina from around one Latin America substantial.year in 1900 to more than six years inthe 1970s. Argentina 6.0In 1som countries therehasbeena Brazil 3.0 MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA.In some countries there has been a Costa Rica 4.0 Terpdeooi rwhoreversal. In Sri Lanka, for instance, women Mexico 4.0 The rapid economic growth ofon average in 1953 lived one year less recent years has probably cutthan men; by 1962 they had pulled level; Middle East and considerably the proportion ofby the early 1970s they were ahead by a North Africamargin of about three years. A similar Algeria" 1.0switch occurred in Turkey between the Iraq 0.5absolutely poor people in theregion. Nonetheless, there is still1930s and the 1970s. Iran -0.5 serious poverty in the countriesEconomic development thus tends to unisia . not rich in oil, and to a lesser deraisewomen's life expectancy more than Industrialized countriesgree also in Iran, Iraq and Algeria.men's. But regional differences in the size Italy 6.0 As in Sub-Saharan Africaand evolution of the gap, and the excep- Norway 6.0tional cases of Sri Lanka and Turkey United States 8.0 income differences between coun-(see next page), suggest an association a. Late 1960s. tries are related more to theirnatural resources than to institu-91