Prelims – Current events of national and international importance | Indian Polity and Governance | Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development.
Mains – General Studies- II (Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources | Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance)
Why in news?
The Human Development Index (HDI), 2025 was recently released by the United Nations Development Programme.
- HDI – Is a summary measure of average achievement in 3 key dimensions of human development, including:
- A long and healthy life
- Being knowledgeable
- Having a decent standard of living
- It is released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
- India – India has ranked 130 out of 193 countries in the 2025 edition of HDI.
- India’s HDI value increases from 0.676 in 2022 to 0.685 in 2023, placing the country in the medium human development category.
- India’s latest HDI score of 0.685 is comparable to its neighbours Bangladesh (0.685), and higher than Nepal (0.622) and Pakistan (0.544).
Key Findings of the 2025 Human Development Report on India
- Life Expectancy – India’s life expectancy rose from 58.6 years in 1990 to 72 years in 2023, the highest ever recorded.
- Education Gains – Expected years of schooling increased to 13 years (from 8.2 in 1990), but quality remains a concern.
- Income Growth – GNI per capita significantly increased to USD 9046.76 (2023 PPP) from USD 2167.22 (1990), contributing to 135 million escaping multidimensional poverty (2015-21).
- High Inequality – India faces significant inequality (30.7% HDI loss), particularly in income and gender, despite improvements in health and education.
- AI Leadership – India is a leading AI hub with the highest self-reported skills penetration and increasing domestic talent retention, leveraging AI for inclusive growth across sectors.
- Global Slowdown Impact – India is part of a global trend of slower human development progress, risking delays in achieving very high development levels.
- AI as a Choice – The report emphasizes that AI's impact depends on policy choices, requiring a focus on human augmentation, needs, and values to prevent deepening inequalities.
Reference
- UNDP | HDI
- UNDP | HDI
