Human Development Report 2023-24

• 18 Mar 2024

For Prelims: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Human Development Report (HDR), Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Gross National Income (GNI).

For Mains: Human Development Report 2023-24, Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.

Source: DTE

Why in News?

According to the 2023-24 Human Development Report (HDR), titled ‘Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation in a Polarised World,’ India ranks 134 on the global Human Development Index (HDI). Switzerland has been ranked number one.

• The report has been released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

What is the Human Development Report?

• About:
  • Human Development Reports (HDRs) have been released since 1990 and have explored different themes through the human development approach.
  • The reports are produced by the Human Development Report Office for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
• Human Development Index:
  • HDI is a composite index that measures average achievement in human development taking into account three indicators:
    • Life expectancy at birth (Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3),
    • Expected years of schooling (SDG 4.3),
      • Mean years of schooling (SDG 4.4)
    • Gross national income (GNI) (SDG 8.5).

What are the Key Highlights of the Report?

• Performer:
  • Top Three Countries (Scores): Switzerland (0.967), Norway (0.966) and Iceland (0.959).
  • Bottom Three Countries: Somalia (0.380), South Sudan (0.381), Central African Republic (0.387).
  • Bigger Economies: USA (0.927), UK (0.889), Japan (0.878), Russia (0.821).
  • Countries Not Ranked in Index: The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Monaco.
• Unprecedented Levels of Growth Disparity:
  • The rich countries experienced unprecedented development. But half of the world’s poorest nations continued to languish below their pre-Covid-19 crisis levels.
    • The two-decade trend of steadily reducing inequalities between wealthy and poor nations is now in reverse.
  • While HDI is projected to reach record highs in 2023 after declines in 2020 and 2021, there is a stark contrast in development levels between rich and poor nations.
• Democracy Paradox:
  • There is an emerging “democracy paradox”, with most of those surveyed expressing support for democracy but also endorsing leaders who may undermine democratic principles.
  • This paradox, coupled with a sense of powerlessness and a lack of control over government decisions, has fuelled political polarisation and inward-looking policy approaches.
• Global Inequalities and Widening Human Development Gap:
  • Global inequalities have been compounded by substantial economic concentration – almost 40% of global trade in goods is concentrated in three or fewer countries.
  • In 2021, the market capitalisation of each of the three largest tech companies in the world surpassed the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of more than 90% of countries that year, the report said.
• Indian Overview:
  • Performance at Various Indicators: India’s average life expectancy reached 67.7 years in 2022, up from 62.7 years the previous year.
    • India’s Gross National Income (GNI) per capita has surged to USD 6951, marking a 6.3% increase over the span of 12 months.
    • There is a rise in expected years of schooling, reaching 12.6 per individual.
  • HDI Score: India attained an HDI score of 0.644 in 2022, positioning it at 134 out of 193 countries in the UN’s 2023-24 report.
    • This categorises India under ‘medium human development.’
    • With India’s HDI in 1990 standing at 0.434, the 2022 score reflects a positive change of 48.4%.
  • Notable Achievements: There is a 9.1-year increase in life expectancy at birth, a rise of 4.6 years in expected years of schooling, and an increase of 3.8 years in mean years of schooling.
    • India’s strides in reducing gender inequality, highlighted a Gender Inequality Index (GII) of 0.437, surpassing the global average.
      • On the GII 2022 list, which evaluates countries based on reproductive health, empowerment, and labour market participation, India ranks 108 out of 166 nations in 2022.
• Performance of India’s Neighbour:
  • Sri Lanka has been ranked much ahead at 78, while China is ranked 75, both categorised under the High Human Development category.
    • India also ranks below Bhutan which stands at 125 and Bangladesh, which is in the 129th position. India, Bhutan and Bangladesh are all in the Medium Human Development category.
  • Nepal (146) and Pakistan (164) have been ranked lower than India.

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ)

Prelims

Q. The Multi-dimensional Poverty Index developed by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative with UNDP support covers which of the following? (2012)

1. Deprivation of education, health, assets and services at household level
2. Purchasing power parity at national level
3. Extent of budget deficit and GDP growth rate at national level

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (a)

Exp:

• The Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) reflects the deprivations that a poor person faces simultaneously with respect to education, health and living standards, as reflected in the following table. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

• Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

---

Mains

Q. Despite Consistent experience of high growth, India still goes with the lowest indicators of human development. Examine the issues that make balanced and inclusive development elusive. (2016)