India's Human Development Index (HDI) value saw an upturn in 2022, climbing from 0.633 to 0.644 after a decline in 2021, as per the latest United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report.
This improvement has positioned India in the medium human development category, ranking 134 out of 193 countries and territories. India ranked 135 out of 191 countries in 2021.
India saw improvements in several HDI indicators such as life expectancy, education, and Gross National Income (GNI) per capita. Life expectancy rose to 67.7 years, expected years of schooling reached 12.6, mean years of schooling increased to 6.57, and GNI per capita saw a rise from $6,542 to $6,951.
India has also made progress in reducing gender inequality, with its Gender Inequality Index (GII) value of 0.437 in 2022, surpassing both the global average of 0.462 and the South Asian average of 0.478. The report acknowledges India's continuous commitment to enhancing the quality of life for its citizens, with substantial improvements since 1990.
However, India also has one of the largest gender gaps in the labour force participation rate—a 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 has also cautioned that despite global HDI projections reaching record highs in 2023, the progress remains uneven, disproportionately favouring wealthier nations.
The data were published in the United Nations Development Programme’s report titled “Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation in a Polarised World”. It builds on the 2021–2022 Human Development Report findings that saw the global HDI value fall for the first time — two years in a row.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Index (HDI) report is an annual publication that assesses the development status of countries worldwide based on key indicators such as life expectancy, education, and income. The HDI is an index that provides a summary measure of a country's average achievements in these three dimensions of human development.
