1.5 Long-term structural change
About the data
Definitions
Data sources
About the data
Over a period of 25 years or longer, cumulative processes of change reshape an economy
and the social order built on that economy. This table highlights some of the notable
trends that have been at work for much of the 20th century: the shift of production from
agriculture to manufacturing and services; the reduction of the agricultural labor force
and the growth of urban centers; the expansion of trade; the increasing size of the
central government in most countriesand the reversal of this trend in some; and the
monetization of economies that have achieved stable macroeconomic management.
All the indicators shown here appear elsewhere in the World Development Indicators.
For more information about them, see tables 2.5 (labor force in agriculture), 3.10 (urban
population), 4.2 (agriculture value added), 4.12 (central government revenues), 4.15
(money and quasi money), and 6.1 (trade).
Definitions
Agriculture value added is the sum of outputs of the agricultural
sector (International Standard Industrial Classification major divisions 15) less
the cost of intermediate inputs measured as a share of gross domestic product (GDP). Labor
force in agriculture is the percentage of the total labor force recorded as working in
agriculture, hunting, forestry, and fishing (ISIC major divisions 15). Urban
population is the share of the total population living in areas defined as urban in
each country. Trade is the sum of exports and imports of goods and
services measured as a share of GDP. Central government revenue includes all
revenue to the central government from taxes and nonrepayable receipts (other than grants)
measured as a share of GDP. Money and quasi money is the sum of
currency outside banks and demand deposits other than those of the central government,
plus the time, savings, and foreign currency deposits of resident sectors other than the
central government. This measure of the money supply is commonly called M2.
Data sources
The indicators here and throughout the rest of the book have been compiled by World
Bank staff from primary and secondary sources. More information about the indicators and
their sources can be found in the About the data, Definitions, and Data
sources entries that accompany each table in subsequent sections.
THE WORLD BANK METHODOLOGY:
----- On External Debt
Definitions
Debt
indicators
----- On WORLD DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS
Size of the economy
Quality of life
Development progress
Trends in long-term development
Long-term structural change
Key indicators for other economies
Population
Land use and deforestation
Growth of output
Credit, investment and expenditures
Integration with the global economy
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