The world by region

Members of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are shown in italics.

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Regional definitions

The regional groupings in this report are based on geographic and cultural affinities and the average income of residents. Developing countries and territories are divided into six regions. In some instances, broader aggregates, roughly corresponding to continental areas, are used. Countries or territories with gross national product per capita of more than $9,360 in 1998 are considered to be high income and are treated as a single group. The term country does not imply political independence or official recognition but refers to any territory for which authorities report separate social or economic statistics.

Data sources

The statistics in this report were provided by various international agencies, which compiled or estimated them on the basis of reports from national authorities. They are the best available today. But the picture they portray is flawed because for some countries the data are incomplete, unreliable or unavailable. Recognising this, Paris21—a consortium of partner countries, international organisations and donors brought together under the banner Partnership In Statistics for development in the 21st Century—is working to improve the capacity of countries to produce good statistics. For more information on the Paris21 programme, see www.paris21.org.

The notes below identify the principal sources for A Better World for All. For definitions, bibliographic information and additional sources of data, please go to the Better World Website: www.paris21.org/betterworld.

Poverty Estimates of the number of people living in extreme poverty are from the World Bank. Data on malnutrition among children under-5 are from the Sub-Committee on Nutrition of the UN Administrative Committee on Co-ordination.

Education Primary school enrolments and projections of school-age children are from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Institute of Statistics.

Gender Data on primary and secondary school enrolments by gender are from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics. The estimates of gender gaps by family assets are based on work by the World Bank.

Infant and child mortality Mortality rates come from the United Nations Population Division and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The distribution of under-5 mortality rates by family assets is based on an analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys by the World Bank and Macro International. The analysis of under-5 mortality rates by mother's level of education is from a study by Macro International.

Maternal mortality Data on births attended by skilled health personnel and maternal mortality ratios are preliminary estimates from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF.

Reproductive health Estimates of contraceptive prevalence rates and fertility rates for women aged 15-19 are from the United Nations Population Division. Data on HIV infections and deaths from AIDS come from the WHO and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

Environment Estimates of the population with access to an improved water source are from the report of the Secretary General to the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (May 2000). Estimates of current and potential forest areas are from the World Wide Fund for Nature. Energy use per unit of GDP was estimated by the World Bank using data from the International Energy Agency. Data on carbon dioxide emissions come from the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center.

What it will take to achieve the goals Estimates of the number of countries with democratic governments are from the World Bank's World Development Report 1999/2000. Data on the number of countries ratifying human rights treaties were compiled by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Shares of government budgets spent on basic social services were estimated by UNICEF and UNDP. The value of merchandise trade is from the World Trade Organisation. The number of personal computers per capita was estimated from data provided by the International Telecommunication Union. Data on tax revenues are from the International Monetary Fund's Government Finance Statistics. Data on aid and private capital flows are from the OECD.

Other sources

Quotations throughout the report were taken from Voices of the Poor, volumes 1 and 2, published by the World Bank, and from reports by development workers around the world.

The accounts of successful programmes to reduce poverty and meet the international development goals are from reports by participants at the Forum on Development Progress held in Paris in March 2000. Additional information comes from reports by the World Bank and United Nations agencies.