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The United Nations’ most recent Human Development Index (HDI) has placed India at the 134th position among 193 countries, based on data from 2022. With a score of 0.644, India falls into the medium human development category, while Switzerland leads the index with a score of 0.967.
This ranking marks a slight decline for India, which was positioned at 132nd in 2021 with a score of 0.633, indicating a two-spot drop but a 0.011-point increase in score. The trend shows a gradual slip down the index for India, which was ranked 131st in 2019 and 130th the previous year.
The HDI assesses human development across three fundamental dimensions: health, education, and standard of living. These dimensions are quantified through four indicators: life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, expected years of schooling, and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.
Life expectancy and education trends
The data indicates that the global life expectancy at birth was recorded at 67.7 years in 2022. This figure decreased from 70.9 years in 2019 to 67.2 years in 2021. Therefore, when compared to 2019, the country's average life expectancy has declined by 3.2 years.
In terms of education, India’s average years of schooling stood at 6.57 years in 2022, a slight decrease from 6.7 years in 2021. However, the expected years of schooling rose from 11.9 to 12.6 years, indicating progress in educational prospects.
The data reveals that the average years of education in the country were registered at 6.57 years in 2022, a slight decline from the 6.7 years observed in 2021. Nonetheless, projections indicate an upward trend in the expected years of schooling, demonstrating an increase from 11.9 years in 2021 to 12.6 years in 2022.
Likewise, examining the data about the country's per capita gross national income reveals an increase; it was recorded as $6,951 compared to $6,590 in 2021. The figures indicate a notable growth from the previous year. Furthermore, data reveals an ascent in India's Human Development Index values from 0.434 in 1990 to 0.644 in 2022, marking a change of 48.4 per cent over these three decades.
The UNDP’s report ‘Breaking the Gridlock’ acknowledges the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global human development, particularly in 2020 and 2021. However, 2023 has seen a resurgence, with human development reaching new heights globally. Despite this, the disparity between affluent and deprived communities has widened, exacerbating inequality and political polarization.
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