Principal sections
Section 1 World view
Section 2 People
Section 3 Environment
Section 4 Economy
Section 5 States and markets
Section 6 Global links
Statistics
The tables
Indicators
Definitions
Notes about the data
Sources
Data presentation conventions and symbols
Commentary
The World Bank's classification of economies
Footnotes
Aggregate measures for regions
Aggregate measures for income groups
Back to Contents
Section 1—World view includes data for 209 economies (those with more than 30,000 people). Data in the remaining sections are presented for 148 economies (those with more than one million people whose governments disseminate data on a regular basis), plus Taiwan, China, in selected tables. Data are shown for economies as they were constituted in 1995, and historical data are revised to reflect current political arrangements. Throughout the tables, exceptions are noted.
Data for China do not include data for Taiwan, China, unless otherwise noted.
Data are shown whenever possible for the individual countries formed from the former Czechoslovakia—the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.
Data are shown for Eritrea whenever possible; in most cases prior to 1992, however, it is covered in the data for Ethiopia.
Data shown for Germany refer to the unified Germany, unless otherwise noted.
Data shown for Jordan refer to the East Bank only, unless otherwise noted.
In 1991 the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was formally dissolved into 15 countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan). Whenever possible, data are shown for the individual countries.
Data shown for the Republic of Yemen refer to that country from 1990 onward; data for previous years refer to the former People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen and the former Yemen Arab Republic, unless otherwise noted.
Whenever possible, data are shown for the individual countries formed from the former Yugoslavia—Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Slovenia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. All references to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the tables are to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia/Montenegro).
Additional information about the data is recorded in Primary data documentation. This section gives an overview of some of the national and international efforts to improve basic data collection and provides information on primary sources, census years, fiscal years, and other background. Statistical methods provides technical information on some of the general calculations and formulas used throughout the book.
Discrepancies in data presented in different editions of the World Development Indicators reflect not only updates by the countries, but also revisions to historical series and changes in methodology. Readers are therefore advised not to compare data series between editions of the World Development Indicators or between different World Bank publications. Consistent time-series data are available in the World Development Indicators CD-ROM.
Except where noted, growth rates are in real terms. (See Statistical methods for information on the methods used for calculating growth rates.) Data for some economic indicators for some economies are presented in fiscal years rather than calendar years; see Primary data documentation. All dollar figures are current U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated. The methods used for converting national currencies are described in Statistical methods.
Within each section the tables display the identifying icons and are numbered by section and table number. Countries and economies are listed in alphabetical order. Section 1—World view displays data for 209 economies with populations of more than 30,000. The full tables in sections 2–6 contain data for 148 economies with populations of more than one million. In some cases shorter tables are presented. When available, aggregate measures for income and regional groups appear at the bottom of each table. The term country, used interchangeably with economy, does not imply political independence or official recognition by the World Bank, but refers to any territory for which authorities report separate social or economic statistics.
Indicators are shown for the most recent year for which data are available and, in most tables, for an earlier year or period.
Definitions provide short descriptions of the principal indicators in each table. These are necessarily brief and may omit some details.
About the data provides a general discussion of international data standards, data collection methods, and sources of potential errors and inconsistencies. Readers are urged to take the time to read these notes to gain an understanding of the reliability and limitations of the data presented.
For a full discussion of data collection methods and definitions readers should consult the technical documentation provided by the original compilers cited in the Data sources.
The World Bank collects development data from international organizations, government agencies, and other public and private organizations to improve its understanding of and advice on development issues ranging from health and education to privatization. These partners are identified in the Data sources section following each table, and key publications of the partners drawn on for the table are listed and sometimes displayed. For a description of the partners and information on their data publications see the Partners section.
Data presentation conventions and symbols
The cutoff date for data is February 1, 1997.
The symbol .. means that data are not available or that aggregates cannot be calculated because of missing data in the year shown.
A blank means not applicable or that an aggregate is not analytically meaningful.
The numbers 0 and 0.0 mean zero or less than half the unit shown.
Billion is 1,000 million.
Trillion is 1,000 billion.
The symbol / in dates, as in 1990/91, means that the period of time, usually 12 months, straddles two calendar years and refers to a crop year, a survey year, or a fiscal year.
Figures in italics indicate data that are for years or periods other than those specified. Data for years that are more than three years from the range shown are footnoted.
Dollars are current U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated.
For some tables brief discussions are included on the overall theme of the table, explaining why the indicators shown are useful for measuring development.
The World Bank’s classification of economies
For operational and analytical purposes the World Bank’s main criterion for classifying economies is gross national product (GNP) per capita. Every country is classified as low income, middle income (subdivided into lower middle and upper middle), or high income. See Key Reference: Groups of economies to check a country’s income classification. Note that classification by income does not necessarily reflect development status.
Because GNP per capita changes with time, the country composition of income groups may change from one edition to the next. Once the classification is fixed for an edition, all historical data presented are based on the same country grouping. The income-based country groups are defined using 1995 GNP per capita:
Low-income economies are those with a GNP per capita of $765 or less in 1995.
Middle-income economies are those with GNP per capita of more than $765 but less than $9,386.
Lower-middle-income and upper-middle-income economies are divided at GNP per capita of $3,035.
High-income economies are those with a GNP per capita of $9,386 or more.
The most recent available data are presented for each of the indicators shown. Although international standards of coverage, definition, and classification apply to most statistics reported by countries and international agencies, there are inevitably differences in coverage, currentness, and quality. When there are competing sources of data, World Bank staff review the data to ensure that the most reliable are presented. Known deviations from standard definitions or breaks in comparability over time or across countries are noted in the tables. When available data are deemed to be too weak to provide reliable measures of levels and trends or do not adequately adhere to international standards, the data are not shown.
Aggregate measures for regions
The aggregate measures for regions refer only to low- and middle-income economies. The country composition of regions is based on the World Bank’s analytical regions and may differ from common geographic usage. For regional classifications see the map on the inside back cover and the lists on the back cover flap.
Aggregate measures for income groups
The aggregate measures for income groups include the 209 economies shown in the summary tables of section 1 wherever data are available. To maintain consistency in the aggregate measures over time and between tables, missing data are imputed. Most aggregates are totals (designated by a t) or median values (m) or are weighted averages (w). Weighting may result in discrepancies between subgroup aggregates and overall totals. See Statistical methods for further details.