Article:
The Human Development Report (HDR) 2021-22 recently made headlines as India’s rank on the Human Development Index (HDI) fell from 130 in 2020 to 132 in 2022. This change aligns with a global decline in HDI scores following the Covid-19 pandemic. This article explores the details of the report, HDI, and India’s performance.
About the Human Development Report
Since 1990, the Human Development Report Office for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been releasing Human Development Reports (HDRs), each focusing on different themes related to human development. The objective is to expand opportunities, choice, and freedom. The HDR 2021-22’s theme was “Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a World in Transformation”.
Understanding the Human Development Index
The HDI is an aggregate index, measuring average human development achievements based on four parameters – Life expectancy at birth (Sustainable Development Goal 3), Expected years of schooling (Sustainable Development Goal 4.3), Mean years of schooling (Sustainable Development Goal 4.4), Gross national income (GNI) (Sustainable Development Goal 8.5).
Highlights from the Human Development Report 2021-22
A significant factor contributing to the recent drop in the HDI is a global decrease in life expectancy, from 72.8 years in 2019 to 71.4 years in 2021. Devastating back-to-back crises, like Covid-19 and the Ukraine war, exacerbated by sweeping social, economic shifts, and dangerous planetary changes, have impacted billions worldwide.
European countries dominated the top spots, with eight among the top ten performers including Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Germany, and Netherlands. In Asia, Sri Lanka emerged as the top performer in the Indian sub-continent.
India’s Scenario in the Human Development Report 2021-22
India’s HDI value was 0.633 in 2021, lower than the world average of 0.732. Even in 2020, India’s HDI value of 0.642 indicated a decline from 2019’s pre-Covid level of 0.645.
The country’s life expectancy at birth in 2021 was recorded at 67.2 years. The expected years of schooling were 11.9 years, mean years of schooling were 6.7 years, and the Gross National Income per capita was USD 6,590.
On the Gender Inequality Index, India ranked 122, reflecting the disparities in the HDI by gender. As per the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index, a loss of 16.8% in HDI due to inequality was noted for India in 2019.
India’s Gender and Multidimensional Poverty Indices
The Gender Inequality Index (GII) presents a measure of gender inequality in three dimensions – reproductive health, empowerment, and the labor market. According to this index, India ranked 122.
Furthermore, the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) highlights how over 381 million people in India faced multi-dimensional poverty as of 2019.
Planetary Concerns and Human Development
The Planetary pressures-adjusted Human Development Index adjusts HDI for planetary pressures to reflect concerns about intergenerational inequality. It is similar to the adjustment made by the Inequality-adjusted HDI for intragenerational inequality. It takes into account carbon dioxide emissions per person and material footprint per person.
Other Insights from the Human Development Report
The report emphasized human unpreparedness for climate change-related crises like fires and storms. It highlighted concerns about the insect population decline, which poses challenges for agricultural scale-up due to their role in pollination. Similarly, the widespread presence of microplastics in even remote areas was noted, indicating a significant environmental threat.
