According to the UN Human Development Index (HDI) report, India’s average life expectancy increased from 62.7 years in 2022 to 67.7 years in 2022. Furthermore, over the course of a year, India’s gross national income (GNI) per capita has increased by 6.3% to $6951.
The projected number of years of education per person increased to 12.6 according to the HDI survey.
India ranked 134th out of 193 nations in the UN’s 2023–2024 study, “Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation in a Polarized World,” with an HDI score of 0.644 in 2022. India is thus categorized as having “medium human development.”
Notably, India’s HDI score increased in 2022 after declining the year before and trending stagnantly in the years prior. India’s HDI was 0.434 in 1990; a positive change of 48.4% is seen in the score for 2022.
The Human Development Index (HDI) evaluates average performance in three essential areas of human development: a long and healthy life, access to education, and a reasonable standard of living.
The national representative for the UNDP, Caitlin Wiesen, made remarks about India’s progress in human development, noting notable developments that have occurred since 1990.
Notable accomplishments include an increase in mean years of schooling of 3.8 years, an increase in predicted years of schooling of 4.6 years, and a 9.1-year increase in life expectancy at birth.
Furthermore, there has been significant rise in India’s GNI per capita, about equivalent to a 287 percent gain.The study also highlighted India’s progress in lowering gender inequality, noting that country’s Gender Inequality Index (GII) is higher than the world average at 0.437. India is ranked 108th out of 166 countries on the GII ranking, which assesses nations based on labor market participation, empowerment, and reproductive health.
India outperforms other nations in the’medium HDI’ category when it comes to reproductive healthcare; in 2022, the country’s adolescent birth rate improved from 17.1 in 2021 to 16.3 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19. Still, there is a sizable 47.8% difference in the labor force participation rates between men and women.
Caitlin Wiesen highlighted India’s continued attempts to improve the standard of living for its people, praising accomplishments made thus far but calling for more, especially in the area of development led by women. She underlined that with fresh focus, socioeconomic advancement and a more just future are possible.The administration credits these advancements to a resolute strategy that aims to empower women by enacting legislative measures that support long-term socioeconomic and political advancement. The Ministry of Women and Child Development showcased programs that cover a variety of aspects of women’s lives, including as entrepreneurship, education, skill development, and workplace safety.
Global Human Development Index (HDI) values have decreased for the second year in a row, which is unprecedented. The United Nations has expressed alarm over the growing gap between rich and poor countries, linking this situation to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Before the financial crisis, the world was headed toward a 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) deadline of an average’very high’ HDI. Every region is now falling short of its pre-2019 expectations, thus we are no longer following that course, the report said.
Essentially, COVID-19 has prevented human growth from reaching the expected levels by now, and the ‘partial’ recovery that has followed is escalating inequality, lagging behind the most vulnerable communities, and escalating political polarization on a worldwide scale.