World Development Indicators 2006

This pocket-sized edition of the World Development Indicators 2006 (ISBN 0821364707) gives a quick reference guide to key development indicators for 208 World Bank member countries and other economies with populations of more than 30,000, as well as tables for regional and income country groups. Data is given for the years 1990, 2003 and 2004 under the headings of people, environment, economy, states and markets, and global links. The developing world has made remarkable progress. The number of people living in extreme poverty on less than $1 a day has fallen by about 400 million in the last 25 years. Many more children, particularly girls, are completing primary school. Illiteracy rates have fallen by half in 30 years. And life expectancy is nearly 15 years longer, on average, than it was 40 years ago. The demand for statistics to measure progress and demonstrate the effectiveness of development programs has stimulated growing interest in the production and dissemination of statistics. And not just in the traditional domains of debt, demographics, and national accounts, but in new areas such as biodiversity, information, communications, technology, and measures of government and business performance. In response World Development Indicators (WDI) has continued to grow and change. In 1999 members of the statistical community, recognizing that the production of sound statistics for measuring progress is a global responsibility, established the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the twenty-first century (PARIS21) to strengthen statistical capacity at all levels. In 2000 the United Nations millennium summit called on all countries to work toward a quantified, time-bound set of development targets, which became the millennium development goals (MDG). In the five years since the millennium summit, the idea of working toward specific goals has evolved into a general strategy of managing for development results. Countries are reporting on progress toward the MDG and monitoring their own results using a variety of economic and social indicators. Bilateral and multilateral development agencies are incorporating results into their own management planning and evaluation systems and using new indicators to set targets for harmonizing their joint work programs. All of these efforts depend on statistics Looking for accurate, up-to-date data on development issues? This indispensable statistical reference allows you to consult over 800 indicators for some 150 economies and 14 country groups in more than 80 tables. It provides a current overview of the most recent data available as well as important regional data and income group analysis in six thematic chapters: World View, People, Environment, Economy, States and Markets, and Global Links. Allows you to consult over 800 indicators for some 150 economies and 14 country groups in more than 80 tables. This statistical reference provides an overview of the data as well as important regional data and income group analysis in six thematic chapters: World View, People, Environment, Economy, States and Markets, and Global Links. FRONT; TABLE OF CONTENTS; 1. WORLD VIEW; Text figures, tables, and boxes; Tables; 2. PEOPLE; 3. ENVIRONMENT; 4. ECONOMY; 5. STATES AND MARKETS; 6. GLOBAL LINKS; BACK.