Pakistan ranks 125th on human development index

HDI measures achievements in health, education and income indicators.

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan was ranked 125th  among 169 countries on the UN’s 2010 human development index (HDI) that measures achievements in health, education and income indicators, as an alternative to purely macroeconomic assessments of national progress.

The HDI forms part of the Human Development Report 2010, a flagship study produced annually by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It was released at the UN headquarters in New York under the report titled “The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human Development”.

This year rankings on the HDI cover the period 2005-2010 using consistent data and technology. The report said the ranking should not be compared to previous reports due to the use of different indicators and calculations.

India ranked 119, Sri Lanka 99, Bangladesh 129, Maldives, 107 and Nepal 138. Bhutan apparently did not provide any data this year. Oil-rich Norway, as the country with the best quality of life ranked number 1 on the HDI, while Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Ireland followed at the top of the standings. Zimbabwe came in last among the 169 nations ranked, behind Mozambique, Burundi, Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The report said the majority of developing countries have made dramatic but underestimated gains in health and education in recent decades, although severe inequalities within and between countries remain.

In this 20th edition, the report reviews trends over the past four decades and concludes that people today are generally healthier, wealthier and better educated than they were in 1970.

These advances are not directly linked with national economic growth, showing that impressive long-term gains can and have been made even without consistent economic performance, according to the report. “Our results confirm two central contentions of the human development report from the outset,” the report’s lead author, Jeni Klugman, told a news conference. “Human development is different from economic growth, and substantial achievements are possible even without fast growth.” Globally, life expectancy has risen from 59 years in 1970 to 70 in 2010, the report states.

Primary and secondary school enrolment has risen from 55 per cent to 70 per cent in the same period. While all regions shared in this progress, there were wide variations in scope; for example, life expectancy rose by 18 years in the Arab world but eight years in sub-Saharan Africa.

Among the top ten countries showing marked improvement are Oman, Nepal and Laos, while Ethiopia, Cambodia and Benin are in the top 20 countries which the report notes are not typically described as success stories. However, the report also highlights serious inequalities, both within and between countries.

Launching the report, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the HDR had radically changed conventional thinking on development. “We have learnt that while economic growth is very important, what ultimately matters is using national income to give all people a chance at a longer, healthier and more productive life.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2010.