Human Development Report (HDR) 2023-24 India's Rank

Human Development Report (HDR) 2023-24 India’s Rank

The Human Development Report (HDR) 2023-24, released by the (UNDP), highlights India's progress in human development since 1990. Check here highlights of the Human Development Report 2024 in detail.

Table of Contents

Highlight of the Human Development Report 2024

India’s rank is 134 out of 193 countries
The report categorised India under the medium human development bracket with an HDI value of 0.644.
India’s HDI value stagnated at 638 in 2019-2020, fell to 0.633 in 2021, but improved to 0.644 in 2022.
This reflects a 4% increase from an HDI of 0.434 in 1990.
Regional Comparison:
- Malaysia (63)
- Thailand (66)
- China (75)
- Sri Lanka (78)
- Indonesia (112)
- Bhutan (125)
- Bangladesh (129)

Relation between HDI and SDG

The HDI has 3 key dimensions—life expectancy (long and healthy life), education (expected years of schooling and mean years of schooling), and income per capita (standard of living).
These dimensions are closely linked to SDG-3 (good health), SDG-4 (quality education), SDG-5 (gender equality), SDG-8 (decent work), and SDG-10 (reduced inequality).

Gender Development Index (GDI)

The GDI measures gender disparities in human development by comparing HDI values for women and men.

Gender Gaps in Development

Among 42 ‘medium human development countries’, India is one of seven with significant gender inequality in HDI, with a gap exceeding 10% between men and women.
Other countries with similar gaps include Bangladesh, Nepal, Uganda, and Morocco.

Fact

Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2022-23: The survey shows that around 37% of females of working age were in the labour force in 2022-23, up from 23.3% in 2017-18.
Urban-Rural Divide: In rural areas, female participation rose from 24.6% to 41.5%, while in urban areas, it increased only marginally from 20.4% to 25.4%.
- This disparity requires further research and policy interventions.

Income Inequality

Rising Income Inequality: Income inequality is increasing in India, where the richest 1% hold 21.7% of the total income.
- Comparison with Neighbours: In Bangladesh, the richest 1% hold 11.6% of income, in China 15.7%, in Bhutan 18.1%, and in Nepal 9.7%.
- Global Comparison: India’s income inequality is higher than the world average (17.5%) and the South Asia average (19.6%).
  - It is also higher than other regional groups like East Asia and the Pacific (16.5%) and Europe and Central Asia (15.7%).

Policy Recommendations

India needs to focus on addressing gender disparities and rising income inequality to make meaningful progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
These issues remain significant barriers to achieving human development and sustainable development in the country.