Which of the following is the best indicator of the economic development of a country?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Per capita income
Per capita income is the total income of a country divided by its population, that is, the average income of a person. Because countries have very different populations, comparing total incomes says little; the average income does, and it is the main yardstick the World Bank uses to classify countries as rich or low-income.
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (1) Women empowerment — Incorrect. It is one social goal of development, not a single measure of a country's economic level.
Option (2) Per person expense — Incorrect. Spending per person shows consumption, which depends on income but leaves out savings and investment.
Option (4) Calorie consumption — Incorrect. It is a measure of nutrition, used to fix the poverty line, not of the general level of a country's development.