Why is it in the News?

India has moved up a rank on the global Human Development Index (HDI), according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report ‘Breaking the gridlock: Reimagining cooperation in a polarised world’ released recently.

Highlights of the Recent Report:

• The latest report revealed that India's global ranking improved slightly from 135th in 2021 to 134th in 2022, with a total of 193 countries assessed in 2022 compared to 191 in the previous year.
  • In 2022, India exhibited progress across all Human Development Index (HDI) parameters, including life expectancy, education, and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.
• Notable advancements were observed in life expectancy, which increased from 67.2 to 67.7 years, while expected years of schooling reached 12.6, mean years of schooling rose to 6.57, and GNI per capita saw an uptick from $6,542 to $6,951.
• Despite these positive strides, India continues to lag behind its South Asian counterparts, such as Bangladesh (129th), Bhutan (125th), Sri Lanka (78th), and China (75th).

What is the Human Development Index (HDI)?

• The Human Development Index is published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• It is the most well-known index of human development.
• It is based on the idea that human development means that people have long and healthy lives, are knowledgeable, and have a decent standard of living.
• More specifically, these three dimensions are measured with four indicators:
  • A long and healthy life: measured by life expectancy at birth
  • Knowledge: measured by expected years of schooling (for children of school entering age) and average years of schooling (for adults aged 25 and older)
  • A decent standard of living: measured by Gross National Income (GNI) per capita
• Represented on a scale from 0 to 1, the HDI value reflects a country's level of human development, with higher values indicating greater development.
• Computed as the geometric mean of normalized indices for each dimension, it offers a nuanced understanding of a nation's progress.
• Furthermore, the HDI aligns with Amartya Sen's 'capabilities' approach, emphasizing the significance of achieving substantive ends in human well-being beyond mere economic indicators.
• Since its inception in 1990, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has annually published the Human Development Report, which incorporates the latest HDI findings and insights.