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Using just one measure of development can be misleading, so it is often better to use more than one. For example, Uganda is a low income country, but 77% of people living there can read and write.

Another example is China. The country has a very low birth rate, but it is not included in the World Bank's list of high income countries. Their policy of one child per family reduced their birth rates considerably. However, the one-child policy has now been overturned.

Population experts have for many years expressed their concerns about the strict birth controls operated in China, and how they could lead to a demographic crisis not only in terms of gender imbalance, but also in terms of a population that is growing old.

Used on their own, each measure of development has advantages and disadvantages:

• Birth rate - this is a good indicator of social progress and the most developed countries have low birth rates. However, birth rates can be changed by government policies. These policies do not always mean that a country is developed.
• Death rate - this is an effective measure of development as it shows how good a country's healthcare system is. It can also indicate a good standard of living. However, very rich countries have many older people, so death rates can be higher than expected.
• GNI per capita - this measure only shows economic development and says nothing about whether people in a country have a good standard of living. It is also an average and so it hides information about people who are very rich or very poor.
• Human Development Index (HDI) - this is widely recognised as a good measure of development. It takes into account economic measures, such as income, but also social measures, such as levels of education.