The United Nations Development Program released its annual Human Development Index Report on March 14th, 2024, and India has jumped one position up. The UNDP Human Development Index is calculated from life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators. Countries are ranked into four tiers of human development: ‘Very High’, ‘High’, ‘Medium’, and ‘Low’. The HDI was created to shift the focus of development economics from solely economic growth to human development, acknowledging that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not just economic factors. The United Nations praised India’s Progress and highlighted its achievements in different areas of development. Let us take a look at them through this article.
India’s Rank in UNDP HDI 2023-24
India’s position on the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI) 2022 showed a slight improvement, moving to 134 out of 193 ranked countries, compared to its 135th position among 191 countries in 2021. The report places India in the medium human development category, noting a significant increase in its HDI rating over the years. Between 1990 and 2022, India’s HDI value increased by an impressive 48.4%, indicating tremendous progress in development. Here are the notable improvements in various areas observed in India:
Gender Inequality Index (GII)
In the 2022 Gender Inequality Index (GII), India ranked 108th out of 193 nations with a score of 0.437. This is a significant improvement from its 122nd ranking out of 191 countries in the GII-2021, which scored 0.490. According to the Ministry of Women and Child Development, there has been a 14-rank increase in the GII-2022 compared to last year. Furthermore, India’s GII score exceeds both the worldwide and South Asian averages, as stated in the report.
Life Expectancy
In 2022, India’s life expectancy at birth increased slightly from 67.2 years in 2021 to 67.7 years. Nonetheless, India’s life expectancy at birth has increased by 9.1 years since 1990.
Expected Years of Schooling
India’s expected years of schooling (EYS) increased by 5.88%, from 11.9 to 12.6 years. This improvement has resulted in an 18-place rank increase when EYS is considered. In addition, the average number of years of schooling has climbed to 6.57.
Gross National Income
India’s Gross National Income (GNI) per capita improved, rising from $6,542 in 2021 to $6,951 in 2022.
Neighbours’ Ranking on UN HDI
Sri Lanka, India’s southern neighbor, ranks 78th, while China ranks 75th, with both countries classified as having High Human Development. Notably, India ranks lower than Bhutan (125th) and Bangladesh (129th) despite all three countries being classified as having Medium Human Development. Furthermore, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Afghanistan have been ranked lower than India, at 144th, 146th, 164th, and 182nd, respectively.
Analysis of India
Following the publication of this report, Caitlin Wiesen, the resident representative of the United Nations Development Programme (India), acknowledged India’s excellent progress in human development while underlining the possibility for additional improvement. Wiesen stressed the importance of refocusing on women-led development to accelerate India’s socioeconomic progress. This shift in emphasis might pave the way for a brighter and more fair future for all people of the country.
