Which measure represents output within borders in a year?

• A. Life expectancy
• B. Gross domestic product (GDP)
• C. Mortality rate
• D. Population density

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is measuring economic activity tied to a country’s location. Output within borders in a year is best captured by GDP, which stands for the total market value of all final goods and services produced inside a country’s borders during that year. This location-based approach means it counts what happens within the country, regardless of who owns the resources or where the producers are from. GDP is the standard gauge used to assess a nation’s annual production and to compare the size and growth of economies over time or across countries.

The other options measure health or demographic characteristics, not economic output: life expectancy is about how long people are expected to live on average; mortality rate counts deaths in a given population; population density describes how many people live per unit area.