Country / GDP Per Capita / GDP Per Capita (world ranking) / Female Literacy Rate (%) / Infant Mortality Rate (per thousand births) / Total Fertility Rate (number of children) / Life Expectancy (in years) / Natural Increase Rate (%)
Pakistan / $2,600 / 171 / 36 / 67.36 / 3.43 / 65.26 / 1.555
Spain / $33,700 / 38 / 97.2 / 4.21 / 1.31 / 80.05 / 0.72
Indonesia / $4,000 / 155 / 86.8 / 30 - 35 / 1 - 3 / 65 - 70 / 5 - 10
Philippines / $3,300 / 162 / 92.7 / 20 - 25 / 1 - 3 / 65 - 70 / 10 - 15
Kazakhstan / $11,800 / 94 / 99.3 / 15 - 20 / 1 - 3 / 70 - 80 / 5 - 10
United Kingdom / $35,200 / 34 / 99 / 1 - 10 / 1 - 2 / 80 - 85 / 1 - 5
Australia / $38,000 / 23 / 99 / 1 - 10 / 1 - 2 / 80 - 85 / 1 - 5
  1. By looking at the GDP per capita for both countries, we can conclude that Spain is more economically developed than Pakistan. Being economically developed provides more and diverse job opportunities and access to good healthcare and contraception. This increases the female literacy rate and life expectancy and decreases the infant mortality and total fertility rate. Pakistan is economically under-developed, so job opportunities, good healthcare, and contraception are not available to all its citizens. This decreases the female literacy rate and life expectancy and increases the infant mortality and total fertility rate. Pakistani women try to counteract the high infant mortality rate by having more children, so the total fertility rate is higher than Spain’s.

On its own, Spain’s high GDP per capita would allow families to support more children. However, because Spain also has a high female literacy rate, the total fertility rate drops. So, Spain has a lower infant mortality, total fertility, and natural increase rate and a higher life expectancy and female literacy rate than Pakistan.

  1. See table above