Roads to Development
Background
This lesson resource is designed to get students thinking in more depth about the possible
relationship between transport infrastructure and economic development.
Task
The following table provides 2014 data for selected countries on Stuart’s and Claire’s route in
relation to the number of paved roads, GDP per capita (PPP) and the Human Development
Index (HDI).
Total km of
roads
Total km of
paved roads
Belgium
154 012
120 514
11,144,420
0.881
Burundi
12 322
1 286
10,482,752
0.389
Democratic
Republic of
Congo
153 497
2 794
69,360,118
0.338
Netherlands
138 641
138 641
16,802,463
0.915
Rwanda
4 700
1 207
12,100,049
0.506
South Africa
747 014
158 952
53,139,528
0.658
Tanzania
86 472
7 092
50,757,459
0.488
Uganda
20 000
3 264
38,844,624
0.484
UK
394 428
394 428
63,489,234
0.892
Zambia
40 454
9 403
15,021,002
0.561
1.
2.
3.
4.
Paved roads
as % of total
No of people
per km of
paved road
Country
Population
Calculate the % of paved roads (column 4).
Calculate the km of paved roads per head (column 6).
Plot the data calculate for column 4 against the HDI – is there a relationship?
Plot the data calculated for column 6 against the HDI – is there a relationship?
HDI
Solutions
Country
Total km of
roads
Total km of
paved roads
Paved roads
as % of total
Population
No of people
per km of
paved road
HDI
Belgium
154 012
120 514
78.2
11,144,420
92
0.881
Burundi
12 322
1 286
10.4
10,482,752
8 151
0.389
Democratic
Republic of
Congo
153 497
2 794
1.8
69,360,118
24 825
0.338
Netherlands
138 641
138 641
100.0
16,802,463
121
0.915
Rwanda
4 700
1 207
25.7
12,100,049
10 025
0.506
South Africa
747 014
158 952
21.3
53,139,528
334
0.658
Tanzania
86 472
7 092
8.2
50,757,459
7157
0.488
Uganda
20 000
3 264
16.3
38,844,624
11 901
0.484
UK
394 428
394 428
100.0
63,489,234
161
0.892
Zambia
40 454
9 403
23.2
15,021,002
1 597
0.561