The table compares four social and economic indicators in Canada, Japan, Peru and Zaire in 1994.
Overall, Japan and Canada had much higher living standards than Peru and Zaire. They had higher incomes, better education levels and longer life expectancies. Japan had the highest income per person, while Zaire had the lowest figures for all four indicators.
Looking first at Japan and Canada, Japan had the highest annual income per person, at $15,760, compared with $11,100 in Canada. Both countries had an adult literacy rate of 99%. Life expectancy was also high, at 78 years in Japan and 76 years in Canada. However, Canada had a higher daily calorie supply than Japan, with 3,326 calories compared with 2,846.
In contrast, Peru and Zaire had much lower figures. The annual income per person was $160 in Peru and only $130 in Zaire. People in Peru had a life expectancy of 51 years, while the figure for Zaire was 47 years. Peru also had a higher daily calorie supply, at 1,927 calories, compared with 1,749 in Zaire. Finally, the adult literacy rate was 68% in Peru, whereas Zaire had the lowest rate, at just 34%.