UNDP Human Development Index2021: India Ranks 132 out of 191 Countries, Registers Decline in Overall Score

UNDP Human Development Index 2021: India continued its decline in the UNDP Human Development Index 2021, ranking 132 out of 191 Countries. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released a detailed report ranking countries from across the world on factors that measure human development. In the 2022 report, India reported Human Development Index (HDI) value of 0.633 places, which placed it in the medium human development category. This is lower as compared to its HDI value of 0.645 in the 2020 report, which had placed it in 131st Rank in a list of 189 countries.

#UNDP#HDI India Ranks 132 in UNDP Human Development Index 2021 pic.twitter.com/XdG6nl69gQ

— Education Reporter (@EducationRepor2)
September 9, 2022

This is the second consecutive year in which India has registered a drop in its ranking and the first time in three decades. While the report points out the decline in HDI indicators for India, the trend is inline with what is being seen globally since the outbreak of COVID-19.

India’s Decline in UNDP HDI – Key Highlights

The report published by the UNDP points out some crucial points which explain India’s continued decline in the Human Development Index. The key among them are:

• Drop in Life Expectancy: In 2021, the life expectancy of Indians fell from 69.7 years to 67.2 years during the survey period. This has been attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and the deadly second wave which led to thousands of deaths across the country.
• Drop in Schooling Years: Along similar lines, expected schooling years for an Indian also declined from 12.2 years in 2020 to 11.9 years in 2021. But on the flipside, the mean average of Schooling Years in India grew marginally from 6.5 years to 6.7 years during the survey period.
• Drop in Female Life Expectancy: While life expectancy in general, saw a decline, the drop was significant among females. Female Life Expectancy in the UNDP’s HDI report was reported at 11.9 years, lower compared to the previous standard of 12.9 years.
• Drop in Female School Years: Similarly, the schooling years reported for female students also reported a decline from 12.6 to 11.9 years

Human Development Index – Top 10 Countries

The List of Top 10 Countries in the UNDP’s Human Development Index are listed below:

UNDP Human Development Index – India and its neighbourhood

One of the key factors that analysts should consider while discussing the UNDP HDI Report is the performance of India in comparison to its neighbourhood. As far as the Indian sub-continent is concerned, Sri Lanka, despite its economic fall, continues to enjoy the highest rank at 73rd Place followed by China at 79. Pakistan ranks at 161 on the list, below all other neighbours.

About UNDP Human Development Index

Human Development Index is a measure of a nation’s health, education, and average income. The UNDP HDI Report is an annual survey report which is released by the United Nations Development Programme. The report analyses a country’s achievement on Human Development Index based on its performance in the following matrices:

• Life Expectancy at Birth
• Mean Years of Schooling
• Expected Years of Schooling
• Gross National Income (per capita)