OIC Member Countries: Economic Performance and Human Development, 2000-2007
Date: 29 January 2007

The 57 OIC member countries are dispersed over a large geographical region in four continents, extending from Albania (Europe) in the north to Mozambique (Africa) in the south, and from Guyana (Latin America) in the west to Indonesia (Asia) in the east. As such, the OIC countries as a group account for one sixth of the world land area and more than one fifth of its population. They constitute a substantial part of the developing countries and, as a group, are well-endowed with a high economic potential in different fields and sectors such as energy and mining (mainly oil and gas), agriculture and arable land, human resources, and a vast strategic trading region. However, the OIC countries do not make up a homogeneous economic group but, rather, a mixed set-up reflecting a high level of heterogeneity and divergence in economic development levels, structure and performance.

Given this state of affairs, the present concise report attempts to demonstrate the trends of economic and human development in the OIC member countries since 2000. It highlights and investigates the trends in major economic indicators of the group of the OIC countries such as the average growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Population, foreign trade performance in terms of merchandise exports and imports, the levels of intra-OIC trade, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into these countries, and the levels of external debt and inflation. On the other hand, the performance of the OIC countries in terms of human development during the period under consideration is examined through highlighting and investigating the trends in the progress achieved in terms of the UNDP’s Human Development Index (HDI), Human Poverty Index (HPI) and the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Online electronic version

OIC Member Countries: Economic Performance and Human Development, 2000-2007 (English)