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This paper measures and analyzes the dynamics of societal technology from 1950 to 1990. We first review prior efforts to define and measure technology; then we improve and extend an existing index of societal technology (Frisbie & Clarke 1979). Next we examine global patterns of technological change. Previous observations are extended in terms of time, from 1950 to 1990 for 53 nations; and in terms of sample size, for 98 countries from 1970 to 1990. During the 1970s and 1980s, the greatest technological gains were in Asia, while Sub-Saharan Africa had practically no change in societal technology; North Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America experienced moderate levels of change; and technology levels in Europe and North America seemed to be both increasing and converging at a decreasing rate. Finally, we apply the index in a cross-national analysis of life expectancy at birth. Societal technology is found to be a better predictor of population survival than either GNP per capita or energy consumption per capita, heretofore the most common proxy of technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]