World Development Report 1984

Introduction
The World Development Indicators, a by-product are in constant prices and were computed, unless
of the World Bank's statistical and analytical work, noted otherwise, by using the least-squares
provide information on the main features of social method. Because this method takes all observaand
economic development. Most of the data col- tions in a period into account, the resulting growth
lected by the World Bank are on its developing rates are not unduly influenced by exceptional valmember
countries. Because comparable data for ues. Table entries in italics indicate that they are for
industrial market economies are readily available, years or periods other than those specified. All
these are also included in the indicators. Data for dollar figures are US dollars, derived by applying
nonmarket economies, a few of which are mem- the official exchange rates, with the exception of
bers of the World Bank, are included if available in the GNP per capita figures, which are derived by
a comparable form. applying the World Bank Atlas method described
Every effort has been made to standardize con- in the technical note to Table 1. Conversion of
cepts, definitions, coverage, timing, and other national currency values in this manner results in
characteristics of the basic data to ensure the great- some inevitable distortions; the technical note to
est possible degree of comparability. Nevertheless, Table 1 also discusses this problem.
care must be taken in how the indicators are inter- Some of the differences between figures shown
preted. Although the statistics are drawn from in this year's and last year's editions reflect not
sources generally considered the most authorita- only updating but also revisions to historical
tive and reliable, many of them are subject to con- series.
siderable margins of error. In addition, variations The economies included in the World Developin
national statistical practices mean that most data ment Indicators are classified by GNP per capita.
are not strictly comparable. The data should thus This classification is useful in distinguishing econbe
construed only as indicating trends and charac- omies at different stages of development. Many of
terizing major differences among economies. the economies included are also classified by domi-'
The indicators in Table 1 give a summary profile nant characteristics-to distinguish oil importers
of the economies. The data in the other tables fall from oil exporters and to distinguish industrial
into the following broad areas: national accounts, market from industrial nonmarket economies. The
agriculture, industry, energy, external trade, exter- groups used in the tables are 34 low-income develnal
debt, aid flows, other external transactions, oping economies with a GNP per capita of less
demography, labor force, urbanization, social indi- than $410 in 1982, 60 middle-income developing
cators, central 'government finances, and income economies with a GNP per capita of $410 or more,
distribution. The table on central government 5 high-income oil exporters, 19 industrial market
expenditure is an expanded version of an earlier economies, and 8 East European nonmarket econtable,
and is complemented by a new table on cen- omies. Note that because of the paucity of data and
tral government current revenue. differences in the method of computing national
Most of the information used in computing the income, estimates of GNP per capita are available
indicators was drawn from the data files and publi- only for those nonmarket economies that are memcations
of the World Bank, the International Mone- bers of the World Bank.
tary Fund, and the United Nations and its special- The format of this edition generally follows that
ized agencies. used in previous years. An important difference,
For ease of reference, ratios and rates of growth however, is that economies for which no GNP per
are shown; absolute values are reported only in a capita figure can be calculated are listed in italics,
few instances. Most growth rates were calculated in alphabetical order, at the end of the appropriate
for two periods: 1960-70 and 1970-82, or 1970-81 if income groups. All other economies are listed by
data for 1982 were not available. All growth rates group in ascending order of GNP per capita. The
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