Human development Index

Map of the human development index of different countries according to UNDP (based on 2021 data, published in 2022).

0,800–1,000 (very high) 0.799 (high) 0.550–0.699 (average)

0.350–0.549 (low) No data

Map of the human development index of different countries according to the United Nations Development Programme (2022).

more than 0,900 0.850–0.899 0,800–0,849 0.750–0.799 0.749

0.650–0.699 0,600–0.649 0.550–0.599 0.549 0.450–0.499

0,400–0,449 0.350–0.399 0,300–0,349 No data

The Human Development Index (HDI) is an indicator, developed by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), used to classify countries at three levels of human development. The index is composed of life expectancy, education (literacy rate, gross enrollment rate at different levels and net attendance) and per capita income indicators. A country obtains a higher HDI when life expectancy is higher, the level of education is higher, and the gross national income GNI (PPP, or purchasing power parities) per capita is higher. It was developed by the Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq.

The 2010 Human Development Report introduced an inequality-adjusted human development index (IHDI). While the simple HDI is still useful, UNDP states that "the IHDI is the actual level of human development (representing inequality), while the HDI can be seen as an index of 'potential' human development." (or the maximum HDI level) that could be achieved if there were no inequality."

The index is based on the human development approach, developed by Mahbub ul Haq, often framed in terms of whether people can "be" and "do" desirable things in their lives. Examples include being well fed, protected, healthy, and doing things like working, getting educated, voting, and participating in community life. Freedom of choice is essential: someone who chooses to be hungry (such as during a religious fast) is different from someone who is hungry because they cannot afford to buy food or because the country is in famine.

The index does not take into account various factors, such as net wealth per capita or the relative quality of products in a country. This situation tends to lower the ranking of some of the more advanced countries, such as the members of the G7 and others.

Characteristics of the Human Development Index

1. Health: measure according to life expectancy at birth.
2. Education: measure by adult literacy rate and the combined gross enrolment rate in primary, secondary and higher education, as well as years of compulsory education.
3. Riqueza: measure per capita GDP PPA and Gross Domestic Product in international dollars.

Other indices related to human development

In addition to the HDI, UNDP prepares:

• The multidimensional poverty index (MIP), which has been supplant to human poverty rates since 2010 (IPH and IPH-1/IPH-2).

• The poverty index (or poverty indicators).

• The human poverty index for developing countries (IPH-1, developed since 1998).
• The selected OECD country human poverty index (IPH-2, developed since 1998).

Definition of human development

Process by which a society improves the living conditions of its citizens through an increase in the assets with which they can cover their basic and complementary needs, and by creating an environment in which rights are respected humans of all of them.

It is the number of options that a human being has in his own environment, to be or do what he wants. The greater the number of options, the greater the human development; the fewer the options, the less human development. Human Development could also be defined as a way of measuring the quality of life of the human entity in the environment in which it operates, and a fundamental variable for the qualification of a country or region.

HDI classification made by UNDP

In the report published in 2018 the human development index fluctuated between Norway with an index of 0.953 in the first position to 0.354 for Niger in the 190th position

The UNDP divides countries into four broad categories of human development, according to the following table:

Since the 2012 report, countries are separated by very high, high, medium, and low HDI quartiles. In the latest report, a country with a very high HDI is not classified as a developed country, but several other factors are taken into account.

History of HDI

Amartya Sen, a philosopher and economist who is mainly due to the idea of the human development index.

The HDI arose as an initiative of the Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq to classify countries based on variables other than those traditionally used in economics (gross domestic product, trade balance, energy consumption, unemployment, etc.), in education (literacy rate, number of enrolled by educational level, etc.), in health (birth rate, life expectancy, etc.) or in other areas (military spending). The HDI seeks to measure these variables through a composite index, through indicators that are related in the three aspects mentioned in a synoptic way.

It is calculated since 1990 by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) according to the research work of the Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq carried out in 1990. It is largely based on the ideas developed by Amartya Sen.

Methodology

The HDI calculated for a sample of 150 countries shows a very high correlation with the per capita GDP logarithm.

Each of the components is expressed with a value between 0 and 1, for which the following total general formula is used.

I♪ ♪ ndicedelcormpornente=valorrreal− − valorrmı ı ♪ ♪ nimorvalorrma♪ ♪ ximor− − valorrmı ı ♪ ♪ nimor{displaystyle {acute {I}}ndiceof the component={dfrac {valor real-valor m{acute {imath }nimo}{valor m{acute {a}}}ximo-valor m{acute {imath }{imath }}}}}}

New methodology

Since the 2010 report, UNDP uses a new method to calculate the HDI, in which the minimum GNI is set at 100 USD, the minimum for both education indicators is 0, and the minimum hope of life, in 20 years:

IEV=Eu− − 20maxEu− − 20{displaystyle mathrm {IEV} ={frac {{textrm {Eu}-20}}{maxEu-20}}}}}

IE=IAPE⋅ ⋅ IAEEmaxIAPE⋅ ⋅ IAEE{displaystyle mathrm {IE} ={frac {sqrt {{{textrm {IAPE}}}}cdot {textrm {IAEE}}}}{max {sqrt {{textrm {IAPE}}}}{cdot {textrm {IAEE}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

• IAPE=APEmaxAPE− − 0{displaystyle mathrm {IAPE} ={frac {textrm {APE}{maxAPE-0}}}}}

• IAEE=AEEmaxAEE− − 0{displaystyle mathrm {IAEE} ={frac {textrm {AEE}{maxAEE-0}}}}}

IPIB=ln (GNIpc)− − ln (100)ln (40,000)− − ln (100){displaystyle mathrm {IPIB} ={frac {ln({textrm {GNIp}})-ln(100)}{ln(40,000)-ln(100)}}}}}}}

IDH=13(IEV)+13(IE)+13(IPIB){displaystyle {textrm {IDH}}={{{{dfrac {1}{3}({textrm {IEV}}})+{dfrac {1}{3}}}}}({textrm {IE}})+{dfrac {1}}{textrm {IPIB}}}}}}}}}}

Old methodology

The following is an example of its calculation taking as reference the values of Spain in the 2007 report (life expectancy at birth of 80.5 years; adult literacy rate of 99%; gross enrollment rate of 98%; GDP PPP per capita of 27,169 $US):

Calculation of the life expectancy index

IEV=80,5− − 2085− − 20=0,931{displaystyle mathrm {IEV} ={dfrac {80.5-20}{85-20}=0,931}

Calculation of the education index

IE=98⋅ ⋅ 99max100⋅ ⋅ 100=0.985{displaystyle mathrm {IE} ={frac {sqrt {{{textrm {98}}}cdot {textrm {99}}}}}{max {sqrt {{{textrm {100}}}{cdot {textrm {100}}}}}}{{{textrm {0,985}}}}}}}}}

Calculation of the GDP index

IPIB=log (25.667)− − log (100)log (40.000)− − log (100)=0,935{displaystyle mathrm {IPIB} ={dfrac {log(25.667)-log(100)}{log(40.000)-log(100)}=0.935}

HDI calculation

IDH=13(IEV)+13(IE)+13(IPIB){displaystyle mathrm {IDH} ={{dfrac {1}{3}}(mathrm {IEV})+{dfrac {1}{3}{3}}(mathrm {IE})+{dfrac {1}{3}}}(mathrm {IPIB}}}}}}}}}}

IDH=13(0,931)+13(0,985)+13(0,935)=0,950{displaystyle mathrm {IDH} ={{dfrac {1}{3}}(0,931)+{dfrac {1}{3}}(0,985)+{dfrac {1}{3}}(0,935)}=0,950}

Legends:

Symbol	Name	Unit
IEV{displaystyle IEV}	Life expectancy index
Eu{displaystyle Eu}	Life expectancy of a country	years
IE{displaystyle IE}	Education index
IAPE{displaystyle IAPE}	Average school year index
APE{displaystyle APE}	Average number of years of schooling	years
IAEE{displaystyle IAEE}	Index of expected years of schooling
AEE{displaystyle AEE}	Number of expected years of schooling	years
IA{displaystyle IA}	Adult Literacy Index
IM{displaystyle IM}	Gross enrolment ratio
IPIB{displaystyle IPIB}	GDP index
II{displaystyle II}	Income index
GNIpc{displaystyle GNIpc}	Per capita GDP index

2021 Report

First/last countries from past lists

Other indicators

In addition to the HDI, the following indices are calculated:

• Human Development Index Adjusted by Unequality.
• Multidimensional poverty index (IPM or MPI -Multidimensional Poverty Index-), since 2010 it has supplanted human poverty rates (IPH and IPH-1/IPH-2).

• Poverty index (or poverty indicators).

• Human poverty index for developing countries (IPH-1, developed since 1998).
• Human poverty index for selected OECD countries (IPH-2, developed since 1998).

• Gender Human Development Index (GDI), developed since 1996
• Gender empowerment index (IPG, developed since 1996).
• Global Peace Index (based on 2007).
• Material deprivation index, applied in Great Britain in 2010, which includes the calculation of poverty in the income and calculation of material deprivation; improves the proposed supplementary calculation of poverty (PMS) of the United States by 2011.
• Social Progress Index (SPI) Social Progress Index), led by Michael Porter of Harvard University, who aims to improve on HRD by including only social outcome indicators. In this way, the SPI avoids including purely economic indicators, such as the GDP, which are more considered indicators of Entry and not necessarily indicators that reflect true results social. The latest published version is 2016.

Previously they were elaborated:

• Human Freedom Index (ILH, 1991-1993).
• Women ' s Development Index (IDM, 1995, changed by IPG).
• Women ' s empowerment index (IPM, 1995, changed by IDG).
• Capacity poverty index (IPC, 1996).
• Human poverty index (IPH, 1997, then derived from IPH-1 and IPH-2).