CBSE Class 10 Economics Chapter 1 PDF Notes – Development 2026-27

These Development Class 10 notes cover Class 10 Economics Chapter 1 completely as per the 2026-27 NCERT book: what development promises to different people, income and other goals, national development, how to compare countries and states using per capita income, the limits of averages, income and other criteria (Kerala, Haryana and Bihar), public facilities, the Human Development Report and HDI, and the sustainability of development.

You also get the latest NCERT data tables, a World Bank vs UNDP comparison, the solved NCERT numerical, NCERT-style questions with answers, 10 MCQs and a free PDF with no signup.

Use the table of contents below to jump to the part you need, or read top to bottom for a complete revision of the chapter.

Table of Contents

• Chapter Overview
• Important Topics and Concepts
• World Bank vs UNDP Criteria
• Solved NCERT Numerical
• Important Terms and Indicators
• Haryana, Kerala and Bihar: Income vs Human Development
• Important Definitions and Terms
• Short Answer Questions
• Long Answer Questions
• MCQs with Answers
• Quick Revision Points
• Chapter Summary
• Exam Tips and PYQ Pattern
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

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Chapter Overview

Development involves thinking about what we need, whether life can be better for all, how people should live together and whether there can be more equality. Different people have different, and sometimes conflicting, ideas of development.

The chapter explains how we compare countries and states, first using income and then health, education and other indicators, and why development must also be sustainable for future generations.

Important Topics and Concepts

What development promises: different people, different goals

• Different categories of people, such as landless labourers, prosperous farmers, rural women, urban unemployed youth, rich urban children and adivasis of the Narmada valley, have different developmental goals.
• Landless labourers want more days of work, better wages, good local schools and no social discrimination; prosperous farmers want higher support prices and cheap labour; a girl from a rich family wants as much freedom as her brother.
• Goals can conflict: industrialists may want more dams for electricity, but dams may submerge land and displace tribals, who may prefer small check dams or tanks.
• Two conclusions: different persons can have different developmental goals, and what is development for one may not be development for another and may even be destructive for them.

Income and other goals

• Most people want regular work, better wages and decent prices for their crops: in other words, more income.
• People also seek equal treatment, freedom, security and respect, and resent discrimination. These non-material goals can be more important than income.
• Example: a job far away may pay more but offer less security or no time for family; people consider facilities, working atmosphere and learning opportunities too.
• For development, people look at a mix of goals. If women do paid work, their dignity rises; if there is respect for women, there is more sharing of housework and acceptance of women working outside; a safe environment lets more women take up jobs or run businesses.

National development

Just as individuals seek different goals, people have different and even conflicting ideas of national development. National development means asking what is a fair and just path for all, whether an idea benefits many or only a small group, and whether there is a better way of doing things.

How to compare countries or states?

• We compare using one or more important characteristics; for countries, income is considered one of the most important attributes, as more income is taken to mean more of the things people need.
• Total income is not useful because populations differ, so we use average income, also called per capita income: total income of the country divided by its total population.
• The World Bank’s World Development Report uses per capita income to classify countries into high-income (rich) and low-income countries. As per the 2026-27 NCERT book, countries with per capita income of US$ 66,500 per annum and above in 2024 are high-income, those with about US$ 2,300 or less are low-income, and India falls in the low middle income category.
• Rich countries, excluding Middle East countries and certain small countries, are generally called developed countries.

Averages hide disparities

• Averages are useful for comparison but hide disparities.
• In the NCERT example, Country A’s five citizens earn between Rs 9,500 and Rs 10,500 a month, while in Country B four citizens earn Rs 500 and one earns Rs 48,000. Both have the same average income of Rs 10,000.
• Most people would prefer Country A because its income is more equitably distributed; in Country B most citizens are poor and one is extremely rich.
• So, besides average income, we must look at how income is distributed among people.

Income and other criteria: Haryana, Kerala and Bihar

• Per capita income (2023–24): Haryana Rs 3,25,759; Kerala Rs 2,81,001; Bihar Rs 60,337. By income alone, Haryana would be the most developed.
• Infant Mortality Rate (2020): Kerala 6, Haryana 28 and Bihar 27 per 1,000 live births.
• Literacy rate: Kerala 94%, Haryana 82%, Bihar 62%.
• Net attendance ratio (secondary, ages 15–17, 2017–18): Kerala 94, Haryana 73, Bihar 69; about one-third of Bihar’s children of this age are not in school.
• So Kerala, with lower income than Haryana, does better on health and education. Income alone is not an adequate indicator of the goods and services people can use.

Public facilities

• Money cannot buy everything: a pollution-free environment, unadulterated medicines or protection from infectious diseases often need collective action.
• For many important things, the best and cheapest way is collective provision, such as security for a whole locality, schools and health care.
• Kerala has a low IMR because it has adequate basic health and educational facilities; states where the Public Distribution System (PDS) works well have better health and nutrition.
• In rural Uttar Pradesh, literacy is 76% for males and 54% for females; among children aged 10–14, 85% of boys and 82% of girls attend school, showing that the constitutional goal of free and compulsory education up to age 14 is still not met.
• Body Mass Index (BMI = weight in kg ÷ square of height in metres) is one way to check nutrition.

Human Development Report and HDI

• Since income is important but inadequate, health and education indicators are now widely used along with income.
• The Human Development Report published by UNDP compares countries on educational levels, health status and per capita income, through the Human Development Index (HDI).
• HDR 2025 (data for 2023): Sri Lanka GNI per capita 12,616 (PPP $), life expectancy 77.5, mean years of schooling 10.8, HDI rank 89; India 9,047, 72, 6.9, rank 130; Bangladesh 8,498, 74.7, 6.8, rank 130; Nepal 4,726, 70.4, 4.5, rank 145; Myanmar 4,919, 66.9, 6.4, rank 150; Pakistan 5,501, 67.6, 4.3, rank 168 (out of 193 countries).
• Sri Lanka is ahead of India in every respect; Nepal and Bangladesh have lower income than India but higher life expectancy.
• By prefixing ‘Human’ to development, the report makes clear that what matters most is people: their health and well-being.

Sustainability of development

• Scientists have warned since the second half of the twentieth century that present types and levels of development are not sustainable.
• “We have not inherited the world from our forefathers — we have borrowed it from our children.”
• Groundwater: about 300 districts report a water level decline of over 4 metres in 20 years; nearly one-third of the country overuses groundwater, and 60 per cent may do so in 25 years. Overuse is found in Punjab, western UP, hard rock plateaus of central and south India, some coasts and growing cities.
• Renewable resources like groundwater are replenished by nature but can be overused if use exceeds replenishment.
• Non-renewable resources like crude oil have a fixed stock and will be exhausted, though new discoveries add to the stock.
• Crude oil reserves (Statistical Review of World Energy, 2024): Middle East 836 thousand million barrels, lasting 70 years; USA 69, lasting 10.5 years; world 1,732, lasting 47 years.
• India imports oil, so price rises burden everyone; countries like the USA with low reserves try to secure oil through military or economic power.
• Environmental degradation does not respect national boundaries; sustainability is a new area where scientists, economists, philosophers and social scientists work together.

World Bank vs UNDP Criteria

The NCERT question on how the two criteria differ.

Solved NCERT Numerical

Four families have an average income of Rs 5,000. Three families earn Rs 4,000, Rs 7,000 and Rs 3,000. Find the fourth family’s income.

• Total income = average × number of families = 5,000 × 4 = Rs 20,000.
• Income of three families = 4,000 + 7,000 + 3,000 = Rs 14,000.
• Income of the fourth family = 20,000 − 14,000 = Rs 6,000. Answer: (iv) Rs 6,000.

Important Terms and Indicators

Know these definitions for one-mark questions.

• Per capita income: total income of a country divided by its total population.
• Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): number of children who die before the age of one year per 1,000 live births in a year.
• Literacy rate: proportion of literate population in the 7-and-above age group.
• Net attendance ratio: children aged 15–17 attending school as a percentage of all children of that age.
• Life expectancy at birth: average expected length of life of a person at birth.
• Human Development Index (HDI): UNDP index based on health, education and income.
• Sustainable development: development that meets present needs without harming future generations.

Haryana, Kerala and Bihar: Income vs Human Development

Important Definitions and Terms

Short Answer Questions

Q1. Why do different persons have different notions of development?

Because their life situations are different. People seek things that are most important for fulfilling their own aspirations, so a landless labourer, a rich farmer and an urban student will have different goals.

Q2. Do “people have different developmental goals” and “people have conflicting developmental goals” mean the same?

No. Different goals simply vary from person to person, while conflicting goals clash, so that fulfilling one person’s goal may harm another, as when a dam gives industry electricity but displaces tribals.

Q3. What is the main criterion used by the World Bank to classify countries? What are its limitations?

The World Bank uses per capita income. Its limitations are that it hides the distribution of income and ignores other important factors like health, education, security and freedom.

Q4. How is the UNDP criterion different from the World Bank’s?

The World Bank uses only per capita income, while the UNDP’s Human Development Report uses health (life expectancy), education (years of schooling) and per capita income to rank countries by HDI.

Q5. Why do we use averages? What are their limitations?

Averages help compare countries with different populations. But they hide disparities: two countries can have the same average income while one has equal distribution and the other has a few very rich and many poor people.

Q6. Why does Kerala have a lower Infant Mortality Rate than Haryana despite lower income?

Kerala has adequate provision of basic health and educational facilities, which are provided collectively. Money in one’s pocket cannot buy all such services, so Kerala does better on IMR.

Q7. Why is collective provision of goods and services important?

Many important things, like security, schools, health care and a clean environment, are cheaper and better when provided collectively; individuals cannot easily buy them alone.

Q8. Why is the issue of sustainability important for development?

Present levels of development overuse resources like groundwater and crude oil, which may be exhausted. Development must continue for future generations, and environmental harm crosses national boundaries.

Long Answer Questions

Q1. “Kerala, with lower per capita income, has a better human development ranking than Haryana. Hence, per capita income is not a useful criterion at all.” Do you agree? Discuss.

I do not fully agree; per capita income is still a useful measure of a country’s or state’s average income.

But it is not sufficient: Kerala has lower income than Haryana yet a much lower IMR (6 vs 28), higher literacy (94% vs 82%) and higher school attendance (94 vs 73).

Income does not show distribution, and money cannot buy public facilities like health care and education.

So per capita income should be used along with health, education and other indicators, as in the HDI.

Development should be judged by a mix of income and quality of life.

Q2. Explain the importance of public facilities for development.

Money cannot buy a pollution-free environment, unadulterated medicines or protection from infectious diseases.

Collective provision of security, schools and health care is cheaper and more effective.

Kerala’s low IMR is due to good health and education facilities.

A well-functioning PDS improves health and nutrition.

Lack of facilities keeps children, especially girls, out of school, as seen in rural UP and Bihar.

Q3. Explain sustainability of development with examples.

Present levels of development may not be sustainable.

Groundwater is overused: about 300 districts saw a decline of over 4 metres in 20 years; one-third of the country overuses it.

Crude oil is non-renewable: world reserves may last about 47 years at present rates.

India imports oil and faces price rises; countries with low reserves seek oil through power.

Environmental damage crosses borders, so sustainability needs joint efforts by scientists, economists and others.

MCQs with Answers

1. Development of a country can generally be determined by
(a) Per capita income (b) Average literacy level (c) Health status of its people (d) All the above
Answer: (d) All the above

2. Which neighbouring country has better human development than India?
(a) Bangladesh (b) Sri Lanka (c) Nepal (d) Pakistan
Answer: (b) Sri Lanka

3. Four families have average income Rs 5,000; three earn Rs 4,000, 7,000 and 3,000. The fourth earns
(a) Rs 7,500 (b) Rs 3,000 (c) Rs 2,000 (d) Rs 6,000
Answer: (d) Rs 6,000

4. Per capita income is calculated by dividing total income by
(a) Number of workers (b) Total population (c) Number of families (d) Number of adults
Answer: (b) Total population

5. Which state had the highest per capita income in 2023–24 among Haryana, Kerala and Bihar?
(a) Kerala (b) Bihar (c) Haryana (d) All equal
Answer: (c) Haryana

6. Kerala’s Infant Mortality Rate (2020) per 1,000 live births was
(a) 6 (b) 27 (c) 28 (d) 60
Answer: (a) 6

7. The Human Development Report is published by
(a) World Bank (b) IMF (c) UNDP (d) WTO
Answer: (c) UNDP

8. India’s HDI rank in HDR 2025 (data for 2023) was
(a) 89 (b) 130 (c) 145 (d) 168
Answer: (b) 130

9. Groundwater is an example of a
(a) Non-renewable resource (b) Renewable resource (c) Human-made resource (d) Potential resource
Answer: (b) Renewable resource

10. At present rates, world crude oil reserves will last about
(a) 10.5 years (b) 47 years (c) 70 years (d) 100 years
Answer: (b) 47 years

Quick Revision Points

• Different people have different and conflicting developmental goals.
• People seek income plus equality, freedom, security and respect.
• National development: fair, just path benefiting many.
• Per capita income = total income ÷ population; used by World Bank.
• Averages hide disparities (Country A vs Country B).
• Haryana Rs 3,25,759; Kerala Rs 2,81,001; Bihar Rs 60,337 (2023–24).
• IMR: Kerala 6, Haryana 28, Bihar 27; literacy: Kerala 94%, Haryana 82%, Bihar 62%.
• Public facilities and PDS improve health and education.
• HDI (UNDP): health, education, income; India rank 130, Sri Lanka 89.
• Sustainability: groundwater overuse (300 districts, >4 m decline); oil reserves last ~47 years.
• Renewable vs non-renewable resources.

Chapter Summary

Development means different things to different people, and their goals may conflict. People want more income but also equality, freedom, security and respect. Countries are compared mainly by per capita income, which the World Bank uses, but averages hide inequalities and income cannot buy public facilities like health care and education.

Kerala, with lower income than Haryana, has better health and education, showing that income alone is inadequate. The UNDP’s Human Development Index adds health and education to income; India ranks 130, behind Sri Lanka. Development must also be sustainable, since overuse of groundwater and dependence on exhaustible crude oil threaten future generations.

Exam Tips and PYQ Pattern

• Learn the NCERT MCQs and the solved numerical; they are asked directly.
• Kerala vs Haryana with IMR, literacy and attendance data is a favourite 3- and 5-mark question.
• World Bank vs UNDP criteria is a common comparison question.
• Use the latest 2026-27 NCERT figures; many older notes have outdated data.
• For sustainability, quote the groundwater and crude oil examples.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is per capita income?

The total income of a country divided by its total population; also called average income.

What is HDI?

The Human Development Index, used by UNDP to rank countries on health, education and income.

Why is Kerala more developed than Haryana in human development?

Because it has better public health and education facilities, giving it a lower IMR and higher literacy despite lower income.

Is Development in the 2026-27 syllabus?

Yes. It is Chapter 1 of Understanding Economic Development for 2026-27.

Can I download these notes as a PDF?

Yes. Use the free PDF link at the top of this page. No signup is required.

Conclusion

Development teaches that progress is about more than income: health, education, equality, freedom and sustainability matter too. Revise the data tables, the World Bank vs UNDP comparison and the sustainability examples, and practise the NCERT numerical to score full marks.

More Notes: Class 10 Economics Chapter 2: Sectors of the Indian Economy notes | Class 10 Economics Chapter 2: Sectors of the Indian Economy notes | Class 10 Geography Chapter 1: Resources and Development notes | All Class 10 Social Science notes

Author Bio: Written and reviewed by the Nextoper Editorial Team, a group of CBSE social science educators who build chapter notes directly from the NCERT textbook and past board paper patterns.

Freshness Note: These notes follow the NCERT Class 10 Economics textbook, Understanding Economic Development (Reprint 2026-27), and the CBSE syllabus for the 2026-27 session. Last checked on 8 November 2026.