How did microregions at the top of the global economic prosperity and health rankings in 2000 evolve over the past twenty years? This chapter provides a tour of the shifts in GDP per capita and life expectancy among microregions that were in the top 30 percent globally at the beginning of the period, which we refer to as blue microregions.
In microregions that had high living standards in 2000, the vast majority of people increased GDP per capita and extended their life expectancy. Living standards declined rarely and in places often only identifiable through a microregional lens.