Context
The Human Development Report 2023-24 has been released by the United Nations Development Programme.
About
- The HDI is a composite index computed based on three parameters – life expectancy, education, and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.
Key Findings
- Rise in Global Inequalities: After twenty years of convergence, the gap between the richest and poorest nations has started to widen from 2020.
- Rich countries are experiencing record levels of human development, when half of the world’s poorest countries remain below their pre-covid level.
- SDG Goal: Before the covid crisis, the world was heading in the direction to reach an average “very high” HDI by 2030, coinciding with the deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- Now it is off track, with every region strolling under its pre-2019 projections.
- India: India has been ranked 134th out of 193 nations. India’s ranking has improved by one position this year.
- India has been placed in the medium human development category.
- India saw developments across all HDI indicators – existence expectancy, schooling, and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.
- India demonstrated development in decreasing gender inequality, India’s GII value is better than the global and South Asian averages.
- India also has one in all the biggest gender gaps in the labour force participation rate—a 47.8% point difference between women (28.3%) and men (76.1%).
- India’s Neighbours: Sri Lanka has been ranked at 78, at the same time as China is ranked 75, each categorized under the High Human Development category.
- Bhutan stands at 125 and Bangladesh is in the 129th position.
- Nepal (146) and Pakistan (164) had been ranked lower than India.
- Top Ranked: Switzerland has been ranked first followed by Norway and Iceland.
- Bottom Ranked: Central African Republic (191), South Sudan (192) and Somalia (193) had been at the bottom of the Index.
Recommendation as per the Report for improvement in HDI
- Planetary public goods for climate stability as we confront the extraordinary challenges of the Anthropocene;
- Digital global public goods for more equity in harnessing new technologies for equitable human development;
- New and expanded financial mechanisms, consisting of a novel track in international cooperation that enhances humanitarian assistance and traditional development aid to low-income countries; and
- Dialing down political polarization through new governance approaches focused on enhancing people’s voices in deliberation and tackling misinformation.
Source: News on AIR
UPSC Mains Practice Question
Q.Why did human development fail to keep pace with economic development in India? (2023)
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