The ninth edition of the World Bank Atlas shows estimates of population, gross national product, and per capita production of 189 countries and territories for 1972. The data presented in the atlas are the result of the work of the World Bank Group whose major purpose is to provide both financial and technical assistance and to improve the living standards of developing member countries. Although the data in the analysis are sometimes derived from incomplete or unreliable basic data, and their conversion into U.S. dollars introduces an element of error, they do provide an approximate measure of average economic and social conditions and trends. Based on the data, real growth has continued in the developing world, in many cases at a rate equal to or greater than that in the more developed countries. However, as rapid population growth continues in large areas, disparities in per capita income between rich and poor countries continue to increase. (Author/JR)