Jipp curve is a term for a
graph
Graph may refer to:
Mathematics
*Graph (discrete mathematics), a structure made of vertices and edges
**Graph theory, the study of such graphs and their properties
*Graph (topology), a topological space resembling a graph in the sense of discre ...
plotting the number (density) of telephones against wealth as measured by the
Gross Domestic Product
Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is oft ...
(GDP) per capita. The Jipp curve shows across countries that teledensity increases with an increase in wealth or
economic development
In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...
(
positive correlation
In statistics, correlation or dependence is any statistical relationship, whether causal or not, between two random variables or bivariate data. Although in the broadest sense, "correlation" may indicate any type of association, in statistics ...
), especially beyond a certain income. In other words, a country's telephone penetration is proportional to its population's buying power. The relationship is sometimes also termed Jipp Law or Jipp's Law.
The Jipp curve has been called "
obably the most familiar diagram in the economics of telecommunications".
The curve is named after A. Jipp, who was one of the first researchers to publish about the relationship in 1963.
The number of telephones was traditionally measured by the number of landlines, but more recently, mobile phones have been used for the graphs as well. It has even been argued that the Jipp curve (or rather its measures) should be adjusted for countries where mobile phones are more common than landlines, namely for
developing countries
A developing country is a sovereign state with a lesser developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreem ...
in Africa.
[Kelly, Tim (2005). Redrawing the Jipp Curve for Africa. Retraçons la courbe de Jipp pour l'Afrique. ''The Acacia Atlas''](_blank)
(retrieved 20 October 2008)
The term has sometimes been used in analogy for other curves as well, for example as a "postal Jipp curve" plotting letters posted per capita and GDP per capita.
Kenny, Charles (2005). Reforming the posts: Abandoning the monopoly-supported postal universal service obligation in developing countries. ''AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies. Related Publication 05-17''. (p. 1)
(retrieved 16 August 2007)
References
External links
Redrawing the Jipp curve for Africa
(article by ITU director Tim Kelly)
* {{portal-inline, Telephones
Telephony