Clarion India
NEW DELHI – The UN Development Programme (UNDP) released a sobering report on various indices of human development on September 8, pointing out that COVID-19 has reversed decades of progress and has called for a “jolt” so countries can exit a “global policy paralysis”.
While the values of many indicators have slipped across the planet, India also dropped a rank, to stand at #132 on the list of countries ordered by HDI.
“Like global trends, in India’s case, the drop in HDI from 0.645 in 2019 to 0.633 in 2021 can be attributed to falling life expectancy — 69.7 to 67.2 years. India’s expected years of schooling stand at 11.9 years, and the mean years of schooling are at 6.7 years. The GNI per capita level is $6,590,” the statement said.
India has also been ranked 122 on the Gender Inequality Index.
For the first time in 32 years (i.e. since the UNDP has been publishing the HDI), the value of the HDI has declined worldwide for two consecutive years. HDI measures a nation’s health, education and standard of living. “Human development has fallen back to its 2016 levels, reversing much of the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.” The HDIs of 90% of the world’s countries dropped either in 2020 or 2021.
The decline is not nearly uniform, however. The HDIs of 40% of the countries declined both in 2020 and 2021 – “signalling that the crisis is still deepening for many”. Countries of Latin America, the Caribbean, Subsaharan Africa and South Asia have been particularly affected.
The decline is not nearly uniform, however. The HDIs of 40% of the countries declined both in 2020 and 2021 – “signalling that the crisis is still deepening for many”. Countries of Latin America, the Caribbean, Subsaharan Africa and South Asia have been particularly affected.
There is a nagging sense that whatever control we have over our lives is slipping away, that the norms and institutions we used to rely on for stability and prosperity are not up to the task of today’s uncertainty complex.”
