HC Deb 09 December 2002 vol 396 cc59-60W
Gregory Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what changes there have been in(a) productivity, (b) income, (c) employment and (d) economic growth in (i) South Asia, (ii) South East Asia, (iii) Africa and (iv) Latin America since the 2000 White Paper 'Making Globalisation Work for the Poor. [85514]

Clare Short

The 2000 White Paper on Globalisation gave data up to 1998. Since then information for income for 1999 and for economic growth for 2000 has become available. This is presented in the following tables for the standard regions published by the World Bank.

Percentage of the population with incomes of less than $1/day
1990 19981 1999
East Asia and Pacific 28 15 14
Latin America and the Caribbean 17 12 15
South Asia 44 40 37
Sub-Saharan Africa 48 48 47
1 Revised
Gross domestic product per person (annual percent growth)
1998–99 1999–2000
East Asia and Pacific 6 6
Latin America and the Caribbean -1 2
South Asia 4 2
Sub-Saharan Africa 0 1

Statistics on productivity and employment are collated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The information available is patchy and refers primarily to productivity and employment in the formal sector. Coverage of the informal sector is partial and as a result the ILO data will not necessarily present a complete picture for many developing countries. DFID does not currently have access to this data.