Definitions
Gross domestic product (GDP) is the total value of all goods and services produced within a country during a given year. It is also a measure of the income generated by production within a country. It is sometimes called annual economic output or just output. To avoid counting the same output more than once, GDP includes only final goods and services—not those which are used to make another product. For example, GDP would not include the wheat used to make bread, only the bread itself.
Gross national income (GNI). Formerly gross national product or GNP. (GNI) is made up of GDP plus the net income earned from investments abroad (minus similar payments made to non-residents who contribute to the domestic economy).
GNI at purchasing power parity (PPP) is the GNI converted into a rate of exchange that allows a standard comparison of price levels between countries. One PPP dollar has the same purchasing power in the domestic economy that the U.S. dollar has over U.S. economy.
Ecological footprint. A measure of how much productive land and water an individual, city, country, or humanity requires to produce all the resources it consumes and to absorb all the waste it generates. The ecological footprint is measured in global hectares, or units that correspond to one hectare of biologically productive space with world average productivity.
The human development index (HDI) measures human development by combining three dimensions of development—longevity (life expectancy at birth), knowledge (adult literacy and mean years of schooling), and income.
The gender-related development index (GDI) combines the same three dimensions of development as the HDI. It also takes into account the sociological inequalities between men and women, such as differences in income and education.
Population using improved drinking-water source The percentage of the population with reasonable access to an adequate amount of drinking water from improved sources.
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