India slips 2 places on HDI as Covid-19 reverses global gains

Subject : Governance

Section: Indices

Human Development Report (HDR)

It is released by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Human Development Index
- Based on three Basic Dimensions of Human Development:
- A long and healthy life,
- Access to knowledge, and
- A decent standard of living.

The other indices that form the part of the Report are:

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is a United Nations’ global development network, headquartered in New York City.
UNDP advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.
UNDP is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from member nations. The organization operates in 177 countries, where it works with local governments to meet development challenges and develop local capacity.
In September 2015, world leaders adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. UNDP is working to strengthen new frameworks for development, disaster risk reduction and climate change by supporting countries’ efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, or Global Goals, which will guide global development priorities through 2030.

Highlights of HDI 2022

India slipped two slots to rank 132 out of 191 countries in the latest Human Development Index (HDI) report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In 2020 India was ranked 130.
However, UNDP says the rankings are not comparable as in 2020, the HDI was measured for 189 countries while this year it is for 191 nations.
It also said that nine out of 10 countries have fallen backward in human development in the face of multiple crises like Covid-19, the Ukraine war and climate change. At the same time, it acknowledged that compared to 2019, the impact of inequality on human development is lower in India.
HDI measures progress on three key dimensions of human development – a long and healthy life, access to education and a decent standard of living. It is calculated using four indicators – life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and the Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.

Falling life expectancy

According to UNDP, in India’s case, the drop in HDI from 0.645 in 2019 to 0.633 in 2021 can be attributed to life expectancy falling from 69.7 to 67.2 years. Various studies have said this happened due to Covid-19. India’s expected years of schooling stand at 11.9 years and the mean years of schooling at 6.7 years. The GNI per capita level is $6,590.
According to Shoko Noda, UNDP Resident Representative in India, “Compared to 2019, the impact of inequality on human development is lower. India is bridging the human development gap between men and women faster than the world. This development has also come at a smaller cost to the environment.”
The report said that India’s HDI value has been steadily catching up to the world average since 1990 – indicating a faster than the global rate of progress in human development. This is a result of policy choices by the country over time, including investments in health and education, it said.
The report also highlighted that over the last decade, India has lifted a staggering 271 million out of multidimensional poverty.