Beyond GDP, New Measure of Wealth Shows That Many Developing Countries are in the Red
New York City, September 13, 2005 — Accounting for the actual value of natural resources, including resource depletion and population growth, shows that net savings per person are negative in the world's most impoverished countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a new World Bank publication, Where is the Wealth of Nations?, launched on the eve of the 2005 U.N. World Summit.
Current indicators used to guide development decisions - national accounts figures, such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - ignore depletion of resources and damage to the environment. In the Conference Edition of Where is the Wealth of Nations?, the World Bank offers new estimates of total wealth, including produced capital, natural resources, and the value of human skills and capabilities, which show that many of the poorest countries in the world are not on a sustainable path.
 Press Materials
Unedited conference edition of Where is the Wealth of Nations?
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