Human Development Report 2025: India ranked at 130 out of 193

Why in News?

• Human Development Report-2025 has been released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
  • This report is mainly based on the data of 2023.
• Title of this report: “A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI”.

India's position in Human Development Report 2025:

• India was ranked 133rd in 2022, which has now improved to 130th in 2023.
• India's HDI value has increased from 0.676 in 2022 to 0.685 in 2023.
• India still remains in the "medium human development" category.
  • It is approaching "high human development" (HDI ≥ 0.700).

Regional comparison of India:

• Among India's neighbours, China (78th), Sri Lanka (89th) and Bhutan (125th) are ranked above India.
• Bangladesh (130th) is tied; Nepal (145th), Myanmar (150th) and Pakistan (168th) are ranked below India.

Top and lowest ranks in Human Development Index- 2025:

• Iceland ranks first with a Human Development Index of 0.972
• South Sudan ranks last with a Human Development Index of 0.388.

India's progress:

• Health:
  • India's life expectancy is set to increase from 58.6 years in 1990 to 72 years in 2023, the highest ever.
  • This is a result of the impact of programmes such as the National Health Mission, Ayushman Bharat, Janani Suraksha Yojana and Poshan Abhiyaan.
• Education:
  • The average years of schooling in India has increased, and children are now expected to remain in school for 13 years, compared to 8.2 years in 1990.
• Income:
  • India's gross national income per capita is set to quadruple on a 2021 purchasing power parity (PPP) basis from US$2,167 in 1990 to US$9,046 in 2023.

Global Human Development Index:

• This index is based on the human development approach. 
•  It aims to show that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing a country’s development, not just economic growth.
• It is published by the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme.
• The index was first released in the year 1990.
• The concept was developed by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq.

Indicators of Human Development Index:

• It measures the average achievement of human development by taking into account four indicators:
  • Life expectancy at birth (Sustainable Development Goal 3)
  • Expected years of schooling (Sustainable Development Goal 4.3)
  • Average years of schooling (Sustainable Development Goal 4.4)
  • Gross national income (Sustainable Development Goal 8.5)

Life expectancy at birth:

• It refers to the number of years a newborn baby is expected to live. 
•  Life expectancy is a symbol of longevity and healthy life of people.

Education:

• It is studied using two indicators-
  • Average years of schooling: Represents the number of years an adult has spent in school by the age of 25
  • Expected years of schooling: How many total years of schooling a child born in a country is expected to receive during his lifetime.

Gross National Income:

• It is measured using an indicator called GNI per capita.
• The income index reflects the standard of living of people living in a country.