Why in news?
The 2023 Human Development Report, titled A Matter of Choice: People and possibilities in the age of AI, ranked India 130th out of 193 countries. India’s human development index (HDI) value increased from 0.644 in 2022 to 0.685 in 2023 due to improvements in health, education and income. This moved the country up four places in the medium‑development category.
Background
The HDI is a composite measure introduced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1990 to evaluate human wellbeing beyond economic growth. It combines three dimensions: longevity (measured by life expectancy at birth), education (expected and average years of schooling) and standard of living (per‑capita gross national income adjusted for purchasing power). Each component is normalised and combined to produce a score between 0 and 1.
India’s latest figures
- Life expectancy: India’s life expectancy rose to around 72 years, up from 67.7 years in 2022.
- Education: Expected years of schooling increased to about 13 years, while the average years of schooling reached 6.9 years.
- Standard of living: India’s per‑capita gross national income (GNI) in purchasing power parity terms rose to roughly $9,047.
- Inequality adjustment: When adjusted for inequality across the population, India’s HDI falls to 0.475, indicating that inequalities significantly reduce development outcomes.
- Gender Inequality Index: India ranks 102nd, with a gender development index of 0.874, reflecting persistent gender disparities.
HDI categories and India’s peers
Countries are classified as very high, high, medium or low human development. India remains in the medium category, alongside Bangladesh (which has the same HDI value) and ahead of Pakistan. Among BRICS nations, India continues to lag behind China (HDI 0.782) and Brazil (0.754) but shows steady progress.
Significance
- HDI captures a holistic picture of wellbeing and can guide policy priorities in health, education and income redistribution.
- Improvements in life expectancy and schooling suggest that public health interventions and expanded education access are bearing fruit.
- However, the large drop in the inequality‑adjusted HDI underscores the need to address disparities across gender, regions and socioeconomic groups.
Source: Hindustan Times · UNDP 2023 HDR
