Group items tagged

lots of geography on mega cities, mad facts in there! series on bbc

In particular, the OECD's projections for 2060 (at constant purchasing-power parities) show the impact of fast catch-up growth in underdeveloped countries with big populations. Economic power will tilt even more decisively away from the rich world than many realise. In 2011 the current membership of the OECD made up 65% of global output, compared with a combined 24% for China and India. By 2060 the two Asian giants will have a 46% share of world GDP, the OECD members a shrunken 42%. India's economy will be a bit bigger than America's, China's a lot.

What were the defining issues of this year in development? Land grabs dominated headlines as investors bought up swaths of Africa, Britain controversially decided to stop sending aid to India and the Rio+20 conference on sustainability caused widespread frustration. Click on the pictures to explore the issues and revisit this year's major topics

In the last 50 years of the 20th century, the Western economies came together because they were leading the growth process. Now there has been a paradigm shift

"The west has in recent years undergone a prolonged and painful financial crisis. In contrast, much of Africa has experienced relatively more rapid economic growth. While there are questions about the environmental impact, sustainability and quality of Africa's growth, what accounts for these different economic trajectories? Part of the explanation lies in the growth of the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) economies. These are largely responsible for higher African economic growth through increased demand for primary commodities and investment in mining, infrastructure and other sectors. They are also changing the nature of globalisation."

"Millions of Brits drink a cup of Assam tea each day, but it comes at a terrible price. Plantation workers on 12p an hour are easy prey for traffickers who lure away their daughters to India's cities. Now pressure is growing on big tea brands to safeguard better pay"