The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and per capita income indicators, which are used to rank countries into four tiers of human development. A country scores higher if it performs better on these indicators.
The HDI was developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a way to measure a country’s progress in promoting human development. It is based on the premise that human development is not simply about economic growth, but also about improving the quality of life for all people.
The HDI is calculated by taking the average of three indicators: life expectancy at birth, mean years of schooling, and gross national income per capita, adjusted for purchasing power parity. These indicators are weighted equally, and the HDI is expressed as a number between 0 and 1, with 1 representing the highest level of human development.
The HDI has been criticized for being too simplistic and for not taking into account other important factors, such as inequality and gender equality. However, it remains a widely used measure of human development, and it has been influential in shaping development policies around the world.
Economic growth is the increase in the amount of goods and services produced by an economy over time. It is usually measured as the annual percentage change in gross domestic product (GDP), which is the total value of all goods and services produced in a country.
Social development is the process of improving the quality of life for all people in a society. It includes measures such as reducing poverty, improving health and education, and promoting gender equality.
Environmental sustainability is the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It includes measures such as reducing pollution, conserving resources, and protecting biodiversity.
The HDI is a composite measure of all three of these dimensions of human development. It is a useful tool for tracking progress in human development over time and for comparing the level of human development in different countries.