New
New
Year 8

Changes in wealth and quality of life over time

I can analyse trends in development indicators over time.

New
New
Year 8

Changes in wealth and quality of life over time

I can analyse trends in development indicators over time.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Overall the world has become wealthier over time.
  2. GDP per capita has risen in many countries, but in some countries it has remained the same.
  3. Statistics suggest that health and education has improved in most places around the world over time.
  4. Despite increasing wealth, inequality has also grown in many countries.

Keywords

  • GDP per capita - the total monetary value of all the goods and services produced in a country over a year divided by the population

  • Economy - the system of money, jobs, businesses, and trade that helps people live and work

  • GINI coefficient - a measure of inequality on a scale between zero and one

Common misconception

The quality of life of people around the world is getting worse.

In most places around the world, social indicators such as life expectancy and the average expected years of schooling, have increased.


To help you plan your year 8 geography lesson on: Changes in wealth and quality of life over time, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

The ‘Our world in data’ website can be used to find maps that show changes over time. You can add or change this lesson to use development indicators of your choice.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Atlases

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is wealth?
Correct answer: The total value of money, assets, and resources a person or country has
The number of people living in a country
The amount of land a country owns
How happy people are in a country
Q2.
What does economic mean?
Related to the environment and nature
Only about a country's population size
Correct answer: Related to money, trade, jobs, and business
The study of different cultures and traditions
Q3.
What is quality of life?
The number of jobs in a country
Correct answer: A person’s overall well-being, including health, education, and income
How much money someone earns
The size of a country’s population
Q4.
What is inequality?
Everyone having the same wealth and opportunities
A country's total population
Correct answer: Unequal access to wealth, resources, and opportunities
A type of government
Q5.
What is a wealthy country likely to have?
A small population
No cities
Correct answer: Good schools and hospitals
Q6.
Why do fewer people live in deserts?
Correct answer: Extreme heat, lack of water, and poor farming conditions
Deserts have too many trees
There are too many people already

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
What does ‘quality of life’ refer to?
The number of people living in a country
Correct answer: The overall well-being and standard of living of people
How much money a country has
Q2.
Which factor is a key measure of a country’s wealth?
The number of tourists visiting each year
Correct answer: Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
The number of sports stadiums
The number of rivers in the country
Q3.
How has global wealth changed over the past 100 years?
It has stayed the same everywhere.
All countries have become equally wealthy.
Correct answer: It has generally increased, but unevenly across countries.
Only rich countries have become richer.
Q4.
Is quality of life for people around the world getting worse?
Yes, life is getting worse for everyone.
Correct answer: No, overall quality of life has improved, but not for everyone.
No, quality of life is improving everywhere equally.
Yes, because there are more global challenges than before.