UN report lauds India's 'remarkable progress' in human development as HDI ranking improves to 134

Consequent to this improvement, India now falls within the medium human development category, ranking 134th out of 193 countries and territories.

India held the 135th position out of 191 countries in 2021.

India showed improvements across various HDI indicators, including life expectancy, education, and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.

Life expectancy has risen to 67.7 years, expected years of schooling have reached 12.6, mean years of schooling have increased to 6.57, and GNI per capita has seen a rise from $6,542 to $6,951.

In 2022, India has shown strides in mitigating gender inequality, evident in its Gender Inequality Index (GII) value of 0.437, which surpasses both the global average of 0.462 and the South Asian average of 0.478. The report recognizes India's ongoing commitment to improving citizens' quality of life, with significant developments noted since 1990.

Despite these achievements, India grapples with one of the most considerable gender disparities in labour force participation, with a notable 47.8 percentage points difference between women (28.3%) and men (76.1%).

"India has shown remarkable progress in human development over the years. Since 1990, life expectancy at birth has risen by 9.1 years; expected years of schooling have increased by 4.6 years, and mean years of schooling have grown by 3.8 years. India's GNI per capita has grown by approximately 287 percent," said Caitlin Wiesen, Resident Representative UNDP India.

"This highlights the country’s commitment over time to not only accelerating economic growth but also improving the quality of life for all its citizens. But there is room for improvement. With a renewed focus on women-led development, and digital public goods for people and planet," she said in a statement.

The report also warns that despite global Human Development Index (HDI) projections reaching unprecedented highs in 2023, progress remains unequal, disproportionately benefiting wealthier nations.

These findings were presented in the United Nations Development Programme's report titled "Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation in a Polarised World."

It expands upon the insights of the 2021–2022 Human Development Report, which witnessed a consecutive two-year decline in the global HDI value.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Index (HDI) report, an annual publication, evaluates the developmental status of countries worldwide by analysing key indicators such as life expectancy, education, and income.

The HDI serves as a composite index offering a concise assessment of a country's average achievements across these three dimensions of human development.