Context
India’s ranking on the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI) improved by one position in 2022 to 134 out of 193 countries ranked compared to 135 out of 191 countries in 2021.Switzerland has been ranked number one.
Relevance:
GS III: Indian Economy
Dimensions of the Article:
- The Human Development Index (HDI)
- Key Highlights of the HDR 2023/24 – India specific
- Observations from the HDR 2023/24
The Human Development Index (HDI)
- The HDI is a statistical composite index introduced by the UNDP in 1990, measuring a country’s average achievement across three basic dimensions.
Background
- Developed by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq, the HDI is a key component of the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report (HDR).
- The HDR also includes other indices like the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI), Gender Inequality Index (GII), and Gender Development Index (GDI), embodying Amartya Sen’s “capabilities” approach.
Key Highlights of the HDR 2023/24 – India specific
Theme of the Report
- The recently released 2023/24 HDR was titled “Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation in a Polarized World.”
India’s Ranking
- India was ranked 135 in 2021 and moved up to 134 in 2022.
India in the Medium Human Development Category
- Between 1990 and 2022, India witnessed a 48.4% increase in its HDI value, rising from 0.434 to 0.644.
India’s Performance on Various Indicators
- Life expectancy at birth in India improved slightly from 67.2 years in 2021 to 67.7 years in 2022.
- Expected years of schooling (EYS) increased by 5.88% from 11.9 years to 12.6 years, leading to an improvement of 18 places.
- Gross National Income (GNI) per capita also improved from $6,542 to $6,951.
Performance of India’s Neighbourhood
- Sri Lanka and China are ranked higher at 78 and 75 respectively, falling under the High Human Development category.
- Bhutan ranks 125, while Bangladesh ranks 129.
- Nepal (146) and Pakistan (164) are ranked lower than India.
India’s Progress in Reducing Gender Inequality
- India ranks 108 out of 166 countries in the Gender Inequality Index (GII) 2022.
- The GII measures gender inequalities in reproductive health, empowerment, and the labour market.
- India’s GII value of 0.437 is better than the global average (0.462) and the South Asian average (0.478).
- India shows improvement in reproductive health indicators but still has a significant gender gap in the labour force participation rate, with a 47.8 percentage points difference between women (28.3%) and men (76.1%).
Observations from the HDR 2023/24
- The report highlights a reversal in the two-decade trend of reducing inequalities between wealthy and poor nations.
- Collective action failure in addressing issues like climate change, digitalization, poverty, and inequality is exacerbating polarization and diminishing trust in institutions globally.
- While nine in 10 people worldwide support democracy, over half of the respondents also endorse leaders who may undermine democratic processes.
- Political polarization within countries is leading to protectionist or inward-turning policy approaches.
Four Areas for Immediate Action Proposed by the Report
To break the current deadlock and recommit to a shared future, the report suggests:
- Investing in planetary public goods to stabilize climate amidst Anthropocene challenges.
- Developing digital global public goods for equitable utilization of new technologies in human development.
- Implementing new and expanded financial mechanisms, including innovative international cooperation tracks alongside traditional aid, especially for low-income countries.
- Addressing political polarization through new governance approaches focused on amplifying people’s voices in decision-making and combatting misinformation.
-Source: The Hindu
