Underdevelopment & Global Inequality

Sociology: AQA A Level, topic 8.1.2

What are Underdevelopment & Global Inequality?

An underdeveloped nation is one that is not yet fully developed because it has been prevented from doing so by other, frequently richer, countries.

Underdeveloped nations have usually been exploited by richer countries and their residents forced into poverty.
Based on the Human Development Index 2020, Niger is the most underdeveloped nation in the world.
An underdeveloped nation is different to an ‘undeveloped’ nation.
An undeveloped nation is one that has not yet become developed but may do so in the future. The opportunity is still there.

Global inequality is the difference in money, status, rights and opportunities between different countries.
Life expectancy is a good way to illustrate global inequality.
Baby girls born in the UK in 2018 can expect to live on average to 90.2 years and baby boys to 87.6 years (Office for National Statistics)
Compare this to the average life expectancy for babies born in the same year from Malawi (64), Nigeria (54) and Somalia (57) (World Bank data).

Life expectancy can be affected by many things including access to food, access to vaccinations and access to clean water and sanitation.

Difficulties in addressing inequality can come from the fact that there is also vast inequality within each nation.
Take Nigeria as an example. Oxfam say that the combined wealth of Nigeria’s five richest men - $29.9 billion - could end extreme poverty in the country (currently 5 million people face hunger).
More than 112 million people are living in poverty in Nigeria, yet the country’s richest man would have to spend $1 million every day for 42 years to spend all of his money.