Analysis of CIA World Factbook - Essay Example

Although the US had the highest GDP per person its infant mortality rate was higher than France’s infant mortality rate which and similar was to the case of life expectancy rate. Countries that are poorer can establish better infant mortality rates as well as higher life expectancy rates as established in the comparison of France and the US. This is because a higher amount of GDP does not mean that the government is spending more on the well-being and healthcare of its citizens.

A country may be experiencing a lower amount of GDP, but the amount of money it directs towards its population's healthcare determines how well a country stands in the measures of infant mortality rate. Secondly, the cost of healthcare even determines the countries standing in these measures. If the cost of healthcare is kept low, then citizens can obtain better healthcare at lower prices. GDP per person statistics can only provide insight regarding how much per person is able to spend on goods and services but does not determine the number of goods and services that can be purchased and the quality of goods and services that can be purchased by individuals, thus relying on GDP per person statistics does not provide a clear picture of a nation’s standard of living.