Human Development Index

The UN Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of poverty, literacy, education, life expectancy, and other factors for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. The index was developed in 1990 by the Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq, and has been used since 1993 by the United Nations Development Programme in its annual report.

Related Topics:
Measure - Poverty - Literacy - Education - Life expectancy - Countries - Measuring well-being - Child - Welfare - 1990 - Pakistan - Economist - Mahbub ul Haq - 1993 - United Nations Development Programme

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The HDI measures the average achievements in a country in three basic dimensions of human development:

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• A long and healthy life, as measured by life expectancy at birth.
• Knowledge, as measured by the adult literacy rate (with two-thirds weight) and the combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrollment ratio (with one-third weight).
• A decent standard of living, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) in USD.

Each year, countries are listed and ranked according to these measures. Those high on the list often brag about it, as a means of attracting talented migrants (economically, individual capital) or discouraging potential emigrants from leaving.

Related Topics:
Countries are listed and ranked - Individual capital

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Human Development Index: Method used to calculate the Human Development Index ►