India drops two ranks in Human Development Index 2020

News: United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has released the Human Development Index (HDI) 2020.

Facts:

● HDI  Human Development Index measures the average achievements in a country in three basic dimensions of human development:

○ A long and healthy life- measured by Life expectancy at birth

○ Access to knowledge: measured by Mean years of schooling and Expected years of schooling

○ A decent standard of living- measured by Gross National Income (GNI) per capita (PPP US$).

What is PHDI ?

UNDP has introduced a new metric this year called Planetary Pressures-adjusted Human Development Index (PHDI).

PHDI reflects the impact caused by each country’s per-capita carbon emissions and its material footprint which measures the amount of fossil fuels, metals and other resources used to make the goods and services it consumes.

Key Takeaways of HDI Human Development Index 2020:

● Topped by: Norway has topped the index followed by Ireland, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Iceland.

● India in HDI 2020: India has dropped two ranks in the HDI index standing at 131 out of 189 countries. India’s HDI value for 2019 is 0.645— which put the country in the medium human development category

● BRICS: In the BRICS grouping, Russia was 52 in the human development index, Brazil 84, and China 85.

● Neighboring Countries HDI ranking: Bhutan (129), Bangladesh (133), Nepal (142), and Pakistan (154).

Other Takeaways from the index:

● Life expectancy of Indians at birth in 2019 was 69.7 years. This is worse than Bangladesh which has a life expectancy of 72.6 years. The life expectancy in Pakistan is 67.3 years.

● India’s gross national income per capita fell to $6,681 in 2019 from $6,829 in 2018 on purchasing power parity (PPP) basis.

○ Purchasing power parity or PPP is a measurement of prices in different countries that uses the prices of specific goods to compare the absolute purchasing power of the countries’ currencies.

● Solar capacity in India has increased from 2.6 gigawatts in March 2014 to 30 gigawatts in July 2019 achieving its target of 20 gigawatts four years ahead of schedule.In 2019, India ranked fifth for installed solar capacity.

For further reference:  UNDP’s HDI and Other Indices