Somalia is facing the risk of an unprecedented famine

Human development falling behind in ninety per cent of countries: UN report

Facebook Twitter Print Email

The latest flagship UN report on human developmen t, released on Thursday, warns that multiple crises are halting progress on human development, which is going backwards in the overwhelming majority of countries. Here are five things to look out for in the report.

The 2021/22 Human Development Report (HDR) – which is entitled “Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World” – paints a picture of a global society lurching from crisis to crisis, and which risks heading towards increasing deprivation and injustice.

Heading the list of events causing major global disruption are the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which have come on top of sweeping social and economic shifts, dangerous planetary changes, and massive increases in polarization.

Human Development Report 2021/2022 - Almost all countries saw reversals in human development in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

1)    First back-to-back decline in three decades

For the first time in the 32 years that the UN Development Programme ( UNDP ) has been calculating it, the Human Development Index , which measures a nation’s health, education, and standard of living, has declined globally for two years in a row.

This signals a deepening crisis for many regions, and Latin America, the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, and South Asia have been hit particularly hard.

Human development has fallen back to its 2016 levels, reversing much of the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals which make up the 2030 Agenda , the UN’s blueprint for a fairer future for people and the planet.

“The world is scrambling to respond to back-to-back crises”, said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator. “We have seen with the cost of living and energy crises that, while it is tempting to focus on quick fixes like subsidizing fossil fuels, immediate relief tactics are delaying the long-term systemic changes we must make ”.

Mr. Steiner went on to call for a renewed sense of global solidarity to tackle “interconnected, common challenges”, but acknowledged that the international community is currently “paralyzed in making these changes”.

The study points to insecurity and polarization of views hampering efforts to bring about the solidarity that is needed to tackle the big global challenges, with data suggesting that those who are most insecure are more likely to hold extremist views. This phenomenon was observed even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vaccines against COVID-19 were developed in record time

2)    COVID-19 is ‘a window into a new reality’

Now into its third year, the pandemic is described in the report as “a window into a new reality”, rather than a detour from business as usual. 

The development of effective vaccines is hailed as a monumental achievement, credited with saving around 20 million lives, and a demonstration of the huge power of innovation married to political will. 

At the same time, the rollout of the vaccines laid bare the huge inequities of the global economy. Access has been paltry in many low-income countries, and women and girls have suffered the most, shouldering more household and caregiving responsibilities, and facing increased violence.

The floods in Pakistan are an example of the climate shocks seen around the world

3)    We’re living through a new ‘uncertainty complex’

The successive waves of new COVID-19 variants, and warnings that future pandemics are increasingly likely, have helped to compound a generalized atmosphere of uncertainty that was growing in response to the dizzying pace of technological change, its effect on the workplace, and steadily growing fears surrounding the climate crisis.

The study’s authors warn that the global upheaval of the pandemic is nothing compared to what the world would experience if a collapse in biodiversity were to occur, and societies found themselves having to solve the challenge of growing food at scale, without insect pollinators. “For the first time in human history”, the report declares, “anthropogenic [man-made] existential threats loom larger than those from natural hazards”.

Three layers of today’s “uncertainty complex” are identified: dangerous planetary change, the transition to new ways of organizing industrial societies, and the intensification of political and social polarization.

“It is not just that typhoons are getting bigger and deadlier through human impact on the environment” says the report. “It is also as if, through our social choices, their destructive paths are being directed at the most vulnerable among us”.

Artificial Intelligence has many positive applications.

4)    There is opportunity in uncertainty

Whilst change is inevitable, the ways in which we react are not. Although there are many well-founded fears surrounding the growing use of Artificial Intelligence, there are many demonstrable upsides to the technology, which is, amongst other things, helping to model the impacts of climate change, improve individualized learning, and help in the development of medicines.

One upshot to the post-COVID world is the creation of novel mRNA vaccine technology, which promises a breakthrough in the way that other diseases are treated.

The pandemic has also normalized paid sick leave, voluntary social distancing and self-isolation, all important for our response to future pandemics.

Solar lamps are a clean, cost-effective way to bring lighting to those with no access to electricity

5)    We can chart a new course

The last three years could serve to show what we are capable of, when we move beyond conventional ways of doing things, and lead us to transform our institutions so that they are better suited to today’s world.

According to Mr. Steiner, the analysis contained within the report can help to chart a new course out of the current global uncertainty.

“We have a narrow window to re-boot our systems and secure a future built on decisive climate action and new opportunities for all,” said the development chief.

This new direction involves implementing policies that focus on investment, from renewable energy to preparedness for pandemics; insurance, including social protection, to prepare our societies for the ups and downs of an uncertain world; and innovation that helps countries to better respond to whatever challenges come next.

“To navigate uncertainty, we need to double down on human development and look beyond improving people’s wealth or health,” says UNDP’s Pedro Conceição, the report’s lead author. “These remain important. But we also need to protect the planet and provide people with the tools they need to feel more secure, regain a sense of control over their lives and have hope for the future.”

  • Human Development Report

Oxford Martin School logo

The Human Development Index and related indices: what they are and what we can learn from them

Researchers have developed several indices that aim to capture human development. how do they work.

Measuring human development helps us understand how people’s lives and livelihoods vary across the world and how they have changed over time.

There are several prominent measures that try to capture these changes:

The Human Development Index (HDI)

  • The Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI)

The Gender Development Index (GDI)

The augmented human development index (ahdi).

The first three are published by the United Nations Development Programme. The AHDI, meanwhile, was developed by the economic historian Leandro Prados de la Escosura.

All these measures seek to broaden the scope of development beyond simple economic growth and to capture other key metrics that track peoples’ living standards.

However, measuring human development comes with many challenges. People do not always agree on what should be included. And even once defined, features of human development are difficult to measure.

So how do these indices track human development? And what can we learn from them?

We summarize the similarities and differences between the different approaches in this article and how to decide on which one to use. 1

The Human Development Index is published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 2 It is the most well-known index of human development. It is based on the idea that human development means that people have long and healthy lives, are knowledgeable, and have a decent standard of living.

More specifically, these three dimensions are measured with four indicators:

  • A long and healthy life: measured by life expectancy at birth
  • Knowledge: measured by expected years of schooling (for children of school entering age) and average years of schooling (for adults aged 25 and older)
  • A decent standard of living: measured by Gross National Income (GNI) per capita

The index is then calculated by normalizing and aggregating these three indicators. First, the indicators are brought onto the same scale, ranging from 0 to 1. This is done by setting minimum and maximum values for each indicator 3 , and a country at or below the minimum value receiving a score of 0, and a country at or above the maximum value receiving a score of 1. 4

Second, the indicators are combined. This is done by calculating the arithmetic mean of the knowledge indicators and then calculating the geometric mean across the three dimensions. 5

The resulting HDI scores each country on a spectrum from 0 to 1. It covers almost all countries since 1990. 6

In addition to the index itself, it is also used to classify countries into groups depending on their development.

The Inequality-Adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI)

The UNDP also publishes the Inequality-Adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI). 7

It uses the same three principles of human development as the HDI: living a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and having enough income to maintain a decent standard of living.

However, the IHDI acknowledges that life expectancy , education , and income differ within countries. It does so by using additional data on inequality within countries in each dimension to discount the HDI’s average values. 8

A country’s score on the IHDI therefore is the same as its HDI score if there is no inequality between people. The greater the inequality, the lower the IHDI relative to the HDI.

The IHDI also ranges from 0 to 1 and covers almost all countries since 2010.

The UNDP also publishes the Gender Development Index (GDI). 9

It characterizes human development like the HDI and the IHDI, but it acknowledges that life expectancy , expected and average access to education, and income differ between men and women.

It uses gender-specific data across three dimensions (such as incomes for men and women) to calculate HDIs for men and women separately. 10

The GDI is the ratio of the female HDI to the male HDI. Values below 1 indicate higher human development for men than women, while values above 1 indicate the opposite. Values closer to 1 therefore indicate higher gender equality.

It covers almost all countries since 1990.

In addition to the index itself, it is also used to classify countries into groups depending on how gender-equal they are.

The Augmented Human Development Index (AHDI) is produced by the economic historian Leandro Prados de la Escosura. 11 It gives a more historical perspective on human development by including long-run data. 12

Like the HDI, the AHDI characterizes human development as people having long and healthy lives, being knowledgeable, and having a decent standard of living. But AHDI adds a fourth dimension — civil and political freedom — and is based on slightly different indicators:

  • Knowledge: measured by average years of primary, secondary, and tertiary schooling (for people aged 15 and older)
  • A decent standard of living: measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita
  • Civil and political freedom: measured by the Varieties of Democracy’s Liberal Democracy Index

The index is again the result of normalizing and aggregating the specific indicators. 13

First, the indicators are brought onto the same scale from 0 to 1. But after setting minimum and maximum values for each indicator 14 , life expectancy and education are normalized logarithmically. 15 This is done because Prados de la Escosura considers development at already high levels a bigger achievement and because he sees these quantitative improvements as associated with higher quality.

Second, the indicators are combined in the same way as the HDI by calculating the geometric mean across the four dimensions. 16

The resulting AHDI scores each country on a spectrum from 0 to 1.

It covers most countries since 1870 and almost all since 1950.

The following chart shows that for the years where they overlap, the HDI and AHDI are closely associated, with countries that score high on one index also scoring high on the other. AHDI tends to give lower scores, though, and the differences are biggest for countries with low scores on both indices.

What can we learn from these indices?

Whether the Human Development Index and related measures are helpful to better understand human development will depend on the questions we want to answer.

If we want a general overview of people’s health, education, and living standards, we can learn much from this data.

The indices are particularly useful for identifying countries with better or worse human development than we would expect based purely on their level of economic development.

For example, the next chart compares a standard measure of economic development, GDP per capita, to the HDI. Looking for countries far from the diagonal helps us identify those that fare worse than expected based only on their economic development or those that do better than expected.

As another example, the following chart compares the HDI to the GDI. We again see that some countries do relatively worse when accounting for gender differences (such as Iran and Pakistan). In contrast, others do relatively better due to more gender-equal outcomes (such as Brazil and the Philippines).

Which specific index we should use depends on the questions we have.

If we are interested in a country’s general human development, we can use the HDI.

If we want to account for inequalities within countries, we should use the IHDI; if we are interested in gender differences specifically, the GDI is best.

And if we are interested in long-term trends and want to consider people’s civil and political freedoms, the AHDI is best.

For these general and specific strengths, we provide the Human Development Index and its related measures on our site.

The indices, however, will not give us a satisfying answer if we are interested in other aspects of human development, such as environmental sustainability or human security. They also will not satisfy us if we are interested in indicators with easy-to-understand scores.

In these cases, it is best to look at more specific indicators.

Interactive Charts on the Human Development Index

Keep reading on our world in data.

Thumbnail for topic page on Life Expectancy on Our World in Data

Life Expectancy

People are living longer across the world, but large differences remain. Explore global data on life expectancy and how it has changed over time.

Featured image

Global Education

See all our data, visualizations, and writing on global education.

Economic growth topic page featured image

Economic Growth

See all our data, visualizations, and writing on Economic Growth.

Featured image for the Democracy topic page. Stylized raised hands with topic page title in the middle.

How has democracy spread across countries? Are we moving towards a more democratic world? Explore global data and research on democracy.

Acknowledgments

We thank Saloni Dattani, Joe Hasell, Edouard Mathieu, Hannah Ritchie, and Max Roser for their very helpful comments and ideas about how to improve this article.

The summary and discussion draw on:

Prados de la Escosura, Leandro. 2023. Augmented Human Development Index. Concept, Sources and Procedures .

United Nations Development Programme. 2023. Gender Development Index .

United Nations Development Programme. 2023. Human Development Index (HDI) .

United Nations Development Programme. 2023. Inequality-Adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) .

United Nations Development Programme. 2023. Technical notes .

The minimum and maximum values are:

  • Life expectancy: 20 years minimum, 85 years maximum
  • Expected years of schooling: 0 years minimum, 18 years maximum (equivalent to a master’s degree in most countries)
  • Mean years of schooling: 0 years minimum, 15 years maximum
  • Gross National Income per capita: $100 minimum, $75,000 maximum (in 2017 Purchasing-Power-Parity international-$, logarithmized to reflect that incomes become less important as they increase).

The precise formula is:

Normalized indicator = (actual value – minimum value) / (maximum value – minimum value)

The formula is:

HDI = (Health Index * Education Index * Income Index)^(⅓)

Information from other countries is used to estimate a missing indicator’s values for a few country-years.

Normalized, inequality-adjusted indicator = Normalized indicator * (1 – geometric mean of the indicator’s distribution / arithmetic mean of its distribution)

The UNDP presumes a five-year biological advantage for women and therefore uses different minimum and maximum values:

  • Life expectancy for men: 17.5 years minimum, 82.5 years maximum
  • Life expectancy for women: 22.5 minimum, 87.5 maximum

The gender gap in life expectancy, however, varies around the world and has changed over time .

It replaces the earlier Historical Index of Human Development (HIHD).

It also entails some imputation, as one of the indicators is missing for some country-years. Prados de la Escosura uses information from neighboring countries or similar indicators to estimate the missing values.

  • School years: 0 years minimum, 15 years maximum
  • Liberal democracy index: 0 minimum, 1 maximum
  • Gross Domestic Product per capita: $100 minimum, $47,000 maximum ( international-$ at 1990 prices, logarithmized to reflect that additional income becomes less important as it increases).

Normalized indicator = (log(maximum value – minimum value) – log(maximum value – actual value)) / log(maximum value – minimum value)

GDP per capita (logarithmized) and the liberal democracy index are still transformed linearly, analogously to HDI’s normalization.

AHDI = (Health Index * Education Index * Income Index * Freedom Index)^(¼)

The geometric mean is used such that high scores in one index cannot readily make up for low scores in other dimensions.

Cite this work

Our articles and data visualizations rely on work from many different people and organizations. When citing this article, please also cite the underlying data sources. This article can be cited as:

BibTeX citation

Reuse this work freely

All visualizations, data, and code produced by Our World in Data are completely open access under the Creative Commons BY license . You have the permission to use, distribute, and reproduce these in any medium, provided the source and authors are credited.

The data produced by third parties and made available by Our World in Data is subject to the license terms from the original third-party authors. We will always indicate the original source of the data in our documentation, so you should always check the license of any such third-party data before use and redistribution.

All of our charts can be embedded in any site.

Our World in Data is free and accessible for everyone.

Help us do this work by making a donation.

Human Development Report 2015

Related topics, employment, decent work for all and social protection.

report on human development

Content Search

Human development report 2021/2022: uncertain times, unsettled lives: shaping our future in a transforming world [en/ru/zh], attachments.

Preview of Human Development Report 2021-2022 - Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives - Shaping our Future in a Transforming World.pdf

Multiple crises halt progress as 9 out of 10 countries fall backwards in human development, UNDP report warns

The world must jolt itself out of its global paralysis to secure the future of people and planet by re-booting its development trajectory

New York - The world is lurching from crisis to crisis, trapped in a cycle of firefighting and unable to tackle the roots of the troubles that confront us. Without a sharp change of course, we may be heading towards even more deprivations and injustices, warns the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The latest Human Development Report, “Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World”, launched today by UNDP, argues that layers of uncertainty are stacking up and interacting to unsettle life in unprecedented ways. The last two years have had a devastating impact for billions of people around the world, when crises like COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine hit back-to-back, and interacted with sweeping social and economic shifts, dangerous planetary changes, and massive increases in polarization.

For the first time in the 32 years that UNDP have been calculating it, the Human Development Index, which measures a nation’s health, education, and standard of living, has declined globally for two years in a row. Human development has fallen back to its 2016 levels, reversing much of the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

The reversal is nearly universal as over 90 percent of countries registered a decline in their HDI score in either 2020 or 2021 and more than 40 percent declined in both years, signaling that the crisis is still deepening for many.

While some countries are beginning to get back on their feet, recovery is uneven and partial, further widening inequalities in human development. Latin America, the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have been hit particularly hard.

“The world is scrambling to respond to back-to-back crises. We have seen with the cost of living and energy crises that, while it is tempting to focus on quick fixes like subsidizing fossil fuels, immediate relief tactics are delaying the long-term systemic changes we must make,” says Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator. “We are collectively paralyzed in making these changes. In a world defined by uncertainty, we need a renewed sense of global solidarity to tackle our interconnected, common challenges.”

The report explores why the change needed isn’t happening and suggests there are many reasons, including how insecurity and polarization are feeding off each other today to prevent the solidarity and collective action we need to tackle crises at all levels. New calculations show, for instance, that those feeling most insecure are also more likely to hold extreme political views.

“Even before COVID-19 hit, we were seeing the twin paradoxes of progress with insecurity and polarisation. Today, with one-third of people worldwide feeling stressed and fewer than a third of people worldwide trusting others, we face major roadblocks to adopting policies that work for people and planet,” says Achim Steiner. “This thought-provoking new analysis aims to help us break this impasse and chart a new course out of our current global uncertainty. We have a narrow window to re-boot our systems and secure a future built on decisive climate action and new opportunities for all.”

To chart a new course, the report recommends implementing policies that focus on investment —from renewable energy to preparedness for pandemics, and insurance —including social protection— to prepare our societies for the ups and downs of an uncertain world. While innovation in its many forms—technological, economic, cultural—can also build capacities to respond to whatever challenges come next.

“To navigate uncertainty, we need to double down on human development and look beyond improving people’s wealth or health,” says UNDP’s Pedro Conceição, the report’s lead author. “These remain important. But we also need to protect the planet and provide people with the tools they need to feel more secure, regain a sense of control over their lives and have hope for the future.”

For media inquiries, please contact

Carolina Given Sjolander | Communications Specialist | Mobile: +1 347 908 4008 | Email: [email protected]

Victor Garrido Delgado | Media Specialist, UNDP | Mobile:1-917-995-1687 | Email: [email protected]

Related Content

The sustainable development goals report 2023: special edition, le rapport sur le développement humain 2021/2022 : temps incertains, vies bouleversées : façonner notre avenir dans un monde en mutation - présentation, informe sobre desarrollo humano 2021/2022 : tiempos inciertos, vidas inestables: configurar nuestro futuro en un mundo en transformació - panorama general [es/pt], the sustainable development goals report 2022.

Map Options

map placeholder

Human Development Index (HDI) by Country 2024

The HDI measures countries' achievements in health, education, and standard of living, showing a global upward trend but recent declines due to COVID-19.

Countries with high HDI scores, like Switzerland and Norway, exhibit stable governments, quality education and healthcare, and strong economies.

Least-developed countries, with low HDI scores, face challenges like unstable governments, poverty, and lack of healthcare and education.

The Human Development Index, or HDI , is a metric compiled by the United Nations Development Programme and used to quantify a country's "average achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living." The HDI was first launched in 1990 and has been released annually ever since, with the exceptions of 2012 and 2020/21. While HDI tends to trend upward globally over time, more than 90% of the 191 countries analyzed for the 2021/22 HDI report suffered a decline in overall HDI in either 2020 or 2021. These declines were largely attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects.

A country's Human Development Index value is determined by aggregating the country's scores in a vast assortment of indicators including life expectancy , literacy rate , rural populations' access to electricity, GDP per capita , exports and imports, homicide rate , multidimensional poverty index, income inequality , internet availability, and many more. These indicators are compiled into a single number between 0 and 1.0, with 1.0 being the highest possible human development. HDI is divided into four tiers: very high human development (0.8-1.0), high human development (0.7-0.79), medium human development (0.55-.70), and low human development (below 0.55).

Countries with the Highest Human Development Index (HDI)

Most developed countries have an HDI score of 0.8 or above, landing them in the very high human development tier. These countries have stable governments, widespread affordable education and healthcare , high life expectancies and quality of life , and growing, powerful economies.

In contrast to this are the world's least-developed countries (LDCs) , which tend to have HDI scores below 0.55, in the "low human development" category. LDCs face unstable governments, widespread poverty , lack of access to healthcare, and poor education . Additionally, these countries have low income and low life expectancies, coupled with high birth rates . This illustrates the fundamental purpose of the HDI: to help the United Nations determine which countries (especially which least-developed countries) are most in need of assistance.

10 Countries with the Lowest Human Development Index (HDI)

Emerging concerns in the human development index 2021/22.

The 2021/22 version of the HDI report outlined what it called an emerging "new uncertainty complex", in which three rising factors: widespread and intensifying politcal and societal polarization, dangerous planetary climate change, and sweeping societal industrial transformation (such as increasing automation), were generating new and unpredictable types of uncertainty. The report offers the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 war in Ukraine as example manifestations of this new uncertainty complex.

Download Table Data

Enter your email below, and you'll receive this table's data in your inbox momentarily.

Which country has the highest HDI?

Which country has the lowest hdi, frequently asked questions.

  • Human Development Index (HDI) (2019 data) - United Nations
  • Human Development Data Center - United Nations
  • Human Development Insights - United Nations Development Programme
  • Reports and Publications - United Nations Development Programme
  • Human Development Report 2021/22 - United Nations Development Programme

Human development in an age of uncertainty

Subscribe to global connection, pedro conceição pedro conceição director, human development report office - united nations development program @pedrotconceicao.

November 4, 2022

New dimensions of uncertainty are emerging. Lives are being unsettled around the world. To turn new uncertainties into opportunities, we must unleash people’s creative and cooperative potential. We must double down on human development. That is the conclusion of the recently launched 2021-22 Human Development Report titled “Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping Our Future in a Transforming World.”

Lives are being unsettled in many ways. For the first time ever, the global human development index (HDI) went in reverse—for two years straight. Nearly 9 out of 10 countries saw a drop in their HDI values in the 2020-2021 period, far exceeding the declines in the wake of the global financial crisis (Figure 1)—or at any time since the HDI was first released.

Figure 1. Share of countries with a drop in Human Development Index Value

figure 1

While most high-income countries were able to recover in 2021, a majority of countries with low and medium HDI values experienced ongoing declines last year.

Data at the individual level tells us that the forces at work are deeper than COVID-19 or shifts in the HDI, which, however powerful an indicator it is, measures only a subset of human development. UNDP’s 2022 Special Report on Human Security found that more than 6 in 7 people worldwide felt insecure. Feelings of insecurity are on the rise even in countries with the highest levels of HDI. At least a decade in the making, it is a trend that paralleled improvements in the HDI and other conventional measures of well-being. Likewise, reported stress levels—the feeling of being overwhelmed by what the world is throwing at us—have been increasing across all education levels.

What is going on? How does the wide-angle lens of human development help us understand and respond to this apparent paradox of progress with insecurity?

The 2021-22 Human Development Report argues that a new “uncertainty complex” is emerging (Figure 2), never seen before in human history. Uncertainty is not new, but its dimensions today are taking ominous new forms. Constituting it are three volatile and interacting strands:

  • The destabilizing planetary pressures of the Anthropocene (e.g., climate change, biodiversity loss, new diseases like COVID-19), which amplify—and are amplified by—inequalities between those contributing to planetary pressures and those suffering the consequences (see the 2019 Human Development Report on inequalities and the 2020 Human Development Report on the Anthropocene);
  • The pursuit of sweeping societal transformations to ease those pressures while technological innovation is racing ahead; and
  • Widespread and intensifying political polarization among and within countries.

Figure 2. A new uncertainty complex is emerging

fig 2

Together, uncertainty and insecurity are corroding social fabrics. More insecure people tend to trust others less. With insecurity increasing, it is not surprising that globally less than 30 percent of people think that most people can be trusted—the lowest recorded value. More insecure people are also more likely to hold more extreme political views (Figure 3). This can account, partially at least, for the increase in political polarization seen across many countries over the last 10 years (Figure 4).

Figure 3. Political polarization on the rise

fig 3

Source: 2021-22 Human Development Report

Figure 4. Insecurity can drive people to hold more extreme preferences

figure 4

Source: Human Development Report Office based on World Values Survey, wave 6 and 7. See Harper and others (2022).

Large numbers of people feel frustrated by and alienated from their political systems . In a reversal from just 10 years ago , democratic norms and practices are backsliding . This despite high support globally for democracy. Deepening divisions and polarization, at their extremes, turn into violent conflict. Armed conflict is up. Even before the war in Ukraine, as many as 1.2 billion people were being affected by violent conflicts, about half of whom lived outside fragile contexts.

The conjunction of uncertainty and polarization may be paralyzing, delaying action to curb human pressures on the planet. The great frustration of our time may be our inability to act. So, what to do in this context?

We must shift our perspective on uncertainty. The damages wrought by superstorms or drought, from interconnected financial crises and pandemics can be profound, as we all know. They may very well get worse in ways that we cannot now anticipate. But if we only see uncertainty as a threat, then we have already given up the game. We cannot afford to be either fatalistic or glib.

Consider the COVID-19 pandemic in all its deep, impossible contradictions. It opened new reference points for what is possible:

  • Technologically, despite unconscionable inequalities in access, revolutionary vaccines saved more than 20 million lives last year alone and hold promise for preventing and treating many other diseases;
  • Economically, unprecedented monetary interventions and dramatic fiscal expansion, especially in social protection, have dwarfed actions taken during the global financial crisis;
  • Socially, fundamental shifts in behaviors, including voluntary social distancing and self-isolation, are evidence that social norms can change quickly.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is as much a disruptive opportunity as it is a threat. Its potential for enhancing labor demand is bigger than its potential for automating it. New tasks, new jobs, and new industries are all possible. Recall that most jobs came into being in part through the task-creating effects of new technologies: Around 60 percent of people in the United States are now employed in occupations that did not exist in 1940 .

We do not, however, have the luxury to wait around for the long run. The negative displacement impacts of AI are too big, too likely, and too fast, especially if labor-replacing incentives dominate its development. Policies should provide incentives for AI to augment what people can do rather than seek to replace them. That would unlock and frontload its potential for positive transformation.

We thus need to put policies in place that help people feel safe and more in control over their lives. Without this, people will fear the context of novel uncertainty rather than embrace it. In essence, we must strive to weaken the links that run from uncertainty to insecurity.

How do we do this?

Policies that focus on the three “I”s—investment, insurance, and innovation—will go a long way:

  • Investment , ranging from renewable energy to preparedness for pandemics and extreme natural hazards, will ease planetary pressures and pre­pare societies to better cope with global shocks.
  • Insurance helps protect everyone from the contingencies of an uncertain world. The global surge in social protection in the wake of the pandemic did just that, while underscoring how little social insurance coverage there was before and how much more remains to be done. Investments in universal basic services such as health and education also afford an insurance function. Adequately regulated market insurance is also central.
  • Innovation in its many forms—technological, economic, cultural—will be vital in responding to unknown and unknowable challenges. While innovation is a whole-of-society affair, government is crucial: not just in creating incentives for inclusive innovation but also in being an active partner throughout.

Social norms must shift too, as the social context is the crucible in which policies are made and implemented. Education can open new perspectives, not just through curricula but also by envisaging schools as spaces of inclusion. Social recognition of everyone is an important mechanism for social change. Media in its many forms plays a big role here.

The issue is not just about recipients of programs or target audiences but also about who is deciding. For example, women’s representation in political bodies shifts policy priorities and expands aspirations for other women and girls. Social movements have important roles as well in advancing human rights and changing social norms and narratives that are important determinants of people’s behavior, from consumption choices to which political leaders are supported.

Together, these amount to expanding human development writ large, going beyond a focus on well-being achievements, as embodied by the HDI, and toward Amartya Sen’s articulations of expanding agency and freedoms. Human development then becomes not just an end but also the means to navigating uncertainty. Where we head from here is up to us.

Related Content

Edgar Avalos, Jose Maria Barrero, Elwyn Davies, Leonardo Iacovone, Jesica Torres

July 29, 2022

Tamara Cofman Wittes, Joseph Saba, Kevin Huggard

June 25, 2020

Pedro Conceição

January 22, 2020

Global Economy and Development

Nicol Turner Lee

December 12, 2023

December 6, 2023

The Brookings Institution, Washington DC

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm EST

  • Agri-Commodities
  • Asean Economic Community
  • Banking & Finance
  • Entrepreneur
  • Executive Views
  • Export Unlimited
  • Harvard Management Update
  • Monday Morning
  • Mutual Funds
  • Stock Market Outlook
  • The Integrity Initiative
  • Editorial cartoon
  • Design&Space
  • Digital Life
  • 360° Review
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Biodiversity
  • Climate Change
  • Environment
  • Envoys & Expats
  • Health & Fitness
  • Mission: PHL
  • Perspective
  • Photo Gallery
  • Today in History
  • Tony&Nick
  • When I Was 25
  • Wine & Dine
  • Live & In Quarantine
  • Bulletin Board
  • Public Service
  • The Broader Look

Today’s front page, Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Business Mirror Front Page February 21, 2024

‘Tale of progress, disparity, disruption:’ UNDP report points to modern directions for accelerating human development in PHL

  • BusinessMirror
  • February 22, 2024
  • 4 minute read

HUMAN development in the Philippines, like that of the whole Asia-Pacific Region, has been described as a tale of progress, disparity, and disruption.

For the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), hastening human development amid a potentially more turbulent future needs new directions for change.

“Making our Future: New Directions for Human Development in Asia and the Pacific: The 2024 Asia-Pacific Human Development Report” paints a qualified picture of long-term progress, but also persistent disparity and widespread disruption, foreseeing a turbulent development landscape and urgently calling for new directions to boost human development.

The new release, prepared by the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia-Pacific, cites key advancements in human development within the Asia-Pacific region despite a complex development environment. It was launched in a forum jointly organized by UNDP Philippines and the Philippine Human Development Network (PHDN).

The report utilizes UNDP’s Human Development Index (HDI) to assess the overall quality of life for each country, and to underscore the belief that evaluating a country’s development should extend beyond economic growth, prioritizing the well-being, and capabilities of its people.

Over the last three decades, the HDI of Asia-Pacific has surged by 19 percentage points—deemed as the greatest leap in the world. Rapid economic growth, the rise in adult literacy rates, and increased life expectancy rates have significantly contributed to major improvements in human development in the region.

For the Philippines, its HDI score has increased from 0.598 in 1990 to 0.699 in 2021, growing over those three decades alongside the Asia-Pacific Region’s trajectory. It suffered slight declines during the pandemic and was among the group of countries with medium levels of human development. The Philippines ranks seventh in Asean, 16th in the Asia-Pacific Region, and 116th in the world.

Disparities, exclusions

BEYOND the progress, there are still widespread disparities and persistent structural exclusion in Asia-Pacific and in the Philippines. Worsened by the global health crisis and the rising cost of living amid global crises, persistent challenges of poverty and inequality, gender biases, and a large informal sector make it a challenge for the region to be on-track to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

“We are…faced with a convergence of escalating global tensions, deteriorating climate conditions, regional debt distress, and enduring inequality. This convergence is exerting considerable strain on the developmental gains we have achieved in the past decades,” said Dr. Selva Ramachandran, who is UNDP Philippines’ resident representative. “This not only jeopardizes the [SDGs’ attainment, but also poses a potential for unprecedented setbacks in human development, economic stability, and climate resilience unless prompt and extensive corrective measures are done].”

The report further emphasizes three interconnected “risk clusters” that the region currently confronts: climate change and potential pandemics; the changing globalization trends and increased automation; and a slowing pace of reform attributed to the changing political landscape.

To bring about that change, the report calls for three new directions in human development: to place people at the heart of development, to recalibrate growth plans and generate more jobs while keeping within planetary bounds, and to focus tirelessly on the politics of reform and the science of delivery by turning ideas into practice.

“Ultimately, [we are all deeply and] inescapably involved in the crisis that besets us. The climate crisis forms the brooding backdrop of this report. It is the crisis that will preoccupy us throughout our lifetime. It is one that directly concerns not only us, but also threatens to engulf the existence and well-being of our children, and their children’s children,” noted Dr. Emmanuel de Dios, who is PHDN’s president, as he noted that the exacerbating impacts of the climate crisis is a major challenge for the Philippines’s human-development progress.

In the country, these new directions require four major transformations, including: a larger and faster green economic and energy transition; strengthened resilience of families and communities from shocks and disasters; accelerated innovation and digital evolution as tools to accelerating and sustaining growth; and future-ready governance that can help accelerate human development.

To unpack the Philippine implications of the report, the forum featured a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Alex Brillantes Jr., who is the University of the Philippines-National College of Public Administration and Governance’s professor emeritus and former dean. The session featured Dr. Emma Porio of the National Resilience Council, Pia Faustino of Thinking Machines, Anna Lagon of Bayo, and Mel Senen Sarmiento of Galing Pook Foundation.

‘Future-fit’ governments

TO chart a new course, governments would need to be “future fit” to combat the challenges to come, according to the UNDP. The report delves into ways a greater focus on making change happen would be rooted in leadership and governance that is more anticipatory, more adaptable, and more agile.

The Philippine launch of the 2024 report sought to foster dialogue on human development that can be translated into policy recommendations to aid people-focused governance in the country. The full report can be accessed via: https://www.undp.org/asia-pacific/rhdr2024 .

The first Human Development Report of UNDP was released 33 years ago in 1990, which marked a significant milestone by reigniting discussions on ways development should be measured.

envoys01 021524

US to provide ₱70 million, logistics aid for disaster response in Mindanao

  • February 15, 2024

envoys01 021524

Two Marcoses in Voltes V’s history

  • Malou Talosig-Bartolome

Thailand joins PHL-initiated agriculture-MSME development plan

  • Roderick Abad

envoys02 021524

New Zealand marks ‘Waitangi Day:’ ‘Symbol of unity, cultural diversity’

envoys04 020824

India National Day: Reinforcing ‘truly dynamic ties’ with PHL

  • vicente j. carlos
  • February 8, 2024

envoys03 020824

I. Cervantes honors film legend Juan Mariné with online series

envoys02 020824

UAE Embassy commemorates International Day for Human Fraternity

envoys01 020824

Finance secretary, top US embassy officials tackle trade, strategic links

  • Anna Leah Gonzales | PNA

envoys02 020124

Japan confers high honors on Filipino entrepreneur

  • February 1, 2024

envoys01 020124

Israel’s embassy and Education Department remember Holocaust victims, survivors

Jica, dpwh revisit flood-control efforts in metro manila, cagayan valley.

envoys04 020124

Filipinos, Spaniards embrace Sinulog’s rhythm, colors as consulate showcases Phil. culture in Barcelona

envoys03 020124

Canada allots ₱627-M for health, reforestation

  • Joyce Ann L. Rocamora | PNA

Embassy of France to PHL, Micronesia has new address

  • January 25, 2024

envoys03 012524

Instituto Cervantes brings magic of Flamenco Jazz to Cebu and Manila

Mindanao exporters boost sales as eu extends zero-tariff regime.

  • Manuel Cayon

envoys02 012524

Navigating thru rough waters: Israel’s economic resilience in times of war

  • Tomer Heyvi | Head of Israel Economic Mission to the Philippines

envoys01 012524

PHL, Australia boost aviation-security partnership through screener training

ambassador romualdez

Envoy: US keen on funding Mindanao Railway Project

  • January 17, 2024

king frederik x

Denmark’s embassy on succession to kingdom’s throne: ‘extraordinary, historic’

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

  • Introduction
  • Download Report

report on human development

Part II: Shaping our future in a transforming world

Beyond causing frustration and unsettling mind, the uncertainties described in chapter 1 can also undermine the ability to act collectively. Uncertainty has different manifestations. At the individual level it can be seen in the form of human insecurity.

Why has it has proven difficult to act despite clear evidence of harm to come for people, societies and the planet? When current behavior and institutions prove inadequate in a novel context of uncertainty, processes of public deliberation and social choice provide a vital space for driving change. But these processes are coming under strain amid heightening political polarization. This chapter explores two intertwined developments that can contribute to polarization and thereby to our inability to decisively act on shared challenges. First, people’s unsettledness and human insecurity can foster polarization: this chapter presents evidence that people who feel insecure trust others less and are more prone to politically extreme positions. Second, our information ecosystems are undergoing rapid change and posing new pressures on processes of public deliberation. The chapter discusses how polarization might diminish the space for effective action then suggests how we might break the hold of uncertainty on collective action.

Uncertainty is not bound to lead to negative outcomes. Chapter 5 calls attention to the potential for expanding human development in uncertain times. Such expansion is possible precisely because uncertain times provide a context where individuals and society see fundamental changes as possible or required. This chapter considers some of the new possibilities emerging from sustained technological progress, as well as those arising during severe crises. It explores the example offered by technological innovation, arguing that the context of uncertainty opens space for steering technological progress in ways that advance human development. It then looks at how the Covid-19 pandemic has widened the horizon of what we can achieve, despite some considerable failures. Amid the greatest crisis since World War II, there are examples of new possibilities compared with the pre-Covid-19 context. Uncertainty does not need to be paralyzing—there is much we can do today to ensure human thriving and flourishing, even in times of crisis and turbulence.

Enhancing human development is an open-ended process, and when new challenges emerge, there is often room for new opportunities. No country has reached a very high Human Development Index value with low pressures on the planet—symbolizing that our societies need to devise new ways of pursuing development. Navigating the uncertainty complex demands transformational change. This requires enhancing social arrangements at the level of policies and institutional arrangements and shifting societies’ social norms, beliefs and values (introduced in chapter 3 as culture).

The Report proposes a two-tier framework to respond to a dual gap in our uncertain times: the mismatch of our current social arrangements (including behavioral patterns and institutions and policies) to deliver human security to tackle people’s unsettledness and the mismatch between prevalent beliefs and values and what might be needed to navigate through the uncertainty complex.

Figure 4 Examples of mechanisms for continually expanding human development

The first tier is about what to do, with a focus on concrete transformations on three fronts: investment, insurance and innovation (figure 4).

Figure 5 Examples of mechanisms to accompany cultural changes

The second tier is about how to generate the broader social and contextual conditions for change to take hold, acknowledging the role of culture as described in chapter 3 in transformation (figure 5).

report on human development

Download the Report

The Genesis of the Human Development Report and Index — Meghnad Desai In Pursuit of Development

In this conversation with Dan Banik, Meghnad Desai recounts the genesis of the Human Development Report and the Human Development Index, detailing his work with Amartya Sen and Mahbub ul Haq against the backdrop of global economic challenges.

  • More Episodes
  • 2024 Dan Banik, In Pursuit of Development
  • Get involved

Abundant, sustainable energy resources in the Sahel can transform the fortunes of over 340 million people and spur green industrialisation

Given its significant renewable energy resource potential, the Sahel can become the first African region to pioneer and champion an industrial revolution fuelled by renewable energy investments that go beyond domestic use, by establishing and leveraging green value chains that reduce poverty and create jobs.

February 16, 2024

Sahel HDR launch event

Addis Ababa, 16 February 2024 - Energy drives transformations that boost socioeconomic productivity, foster sustainable human development and lay the foundation for a more prosperous and resilient future. Investment in sustainable energy could regenerate Africa’s Sahelian zone by using the region’s significant clean energy potential to transform lives, diversify economies, give hope, and protect the planet. 

A new study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the  2023 Sahel Human Development Report: Sustainable Energy for Economic and Climate Security in the Sahel , reveals that in the Sahel, fossil fuels (55.9%) dominate energy production, with oil and gas comprising the majority, while renewable sources like hydro, solar, and wind remain marginal. A shift by the mid-2030s, with reduced oil reliance (30%) and increased gas production (70%), could pave the way for solar and wind, ultimately constituting a substantial portion (54%) of energy production by 2063.

“The Sahel stands at a pivotal juncture and remains a region of great promise. This report raises fundamental questions about optimal planet-friendly development pathways, more efficient use of cleaner energy resources, and the region’s abundance of renewal energy options. It also unveils a series of actionable pathways, effectively bridging the gap between development objectives and the urgent need for climate change adaptation.” says, Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa, UNDP Regional Director for Africa.

The Sahel HDR explores the causal relationship between energy and development. Over the past decade, energy demand in the Sahel has grown by more than 4% annually, partly due to population growth and partly due to growing economic activity. While electricity access in urban areas is increasing, it remains completely absent in most rural areas as power generation across the region is costly. 

Energy is a public good that must be guaranteed for all citizens. The report shows how a Balanced Green Growth, centred on renewables and energy efficiency, is feasible and could be a viable pathway for a climate-resilient future for Sahelians while prioritising human welfare outcomes. Green energy will be central in meeting the estimated 950 petajoules growth in demand; however, the pathways to achieving this will differ among the Sahelian states.

“With the Sahel HDR, we can create a ripple effect of progress that will benefit the entire continent. Let us embrace the spirit of solidarity and cooperation as we walk toward a Sahel where every individual can live a dignified life.” says Engr. Abubakar Ali-Dapshima, Director Renewable and Rural Power, Federal Ministry of Power, Nigeria.

The report recommends turning opportunities and regional synergies into a pathway for success to address a combination of energy poverty for over half of the population of the Sahel and an overreliance on expensive and high-polluting hydrocarbons that has retarded socioeconomic progress and contributed to environmental degradation. The report notes that while sustainable energy could unlock the Sahel’s immense potential, a balanced and coordinated approach is required to enable a successful transition of the region’s energy system and avoid shortfalls as renewable capacity scales up.

“The Sahel HDR’s focus on energy combinations that focus on fostering solutions not only yield substantial socioeconomic dividends but also uphold environmental stewardship,” says Honourable Seedy Keita, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, The Gambia

The Sahel HDR suggests charting a path that underpins the Sahel’s renewable energy revolution will require sustained investments before commercial viability. The report further notes that without concessionary and risk-tolerant financing that adopts a long-term lens, bankable projects will remain scarce, deal flows will be limited, and energy poverty will be further entrenched across the region. Achieving universal access in the Sahel requires incentives that spur commercial investments, not just temporary subsidies that could distort markets.

“The Sahel HDR provides a pragmatic vision of achieving dependable access to energy for a region where half of the population currently does not have access to electricity. One key takeaway is that to succeed, there needs to be a common regional vision, not fragmentation and consistent funding,” says Dr Alex Vines, Director of Africa Programme, Chatham House.   

The Sahel HDR encourages prioritising cross-border interconnectivity and regional power pools that leverage the collective resources across the region. Sahelian governments should consider harmonising power sector regulations, lowering duty barriers for equipment imports, and jointly planning least-cost generation additions consistent with the objectives of regional initiatives like the West African Power Pool (WAPP).

The report calls for policy priorities that include expanding off-grid energy options, expediting household connectivity, and political commitment to help communities and countries reach the last mile with energy connectivity. The right mix of smart incentives will also help close the gender energy gap and bridge the rural-urban divide in energy access and affordability. 

To learn more, download the  2023 Sahel Human Development Report in English or French. 

For media inquiries, please contact :

Addis Ababa : Ngele Ali | Regional Communications Advisor |  [email protected]  

Dakar : Ugochukwu Kingsley Ahuchaogu | Regional Communications Analyst |  [email protected]  

New York : Eve Sabbagh | Strategic Communications Specialist |  [email protected]

Note to Editors :

UNDP is the leading United Nations organisation fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations build integrated, lasting solutions for people and the planet. Learn more at undp.org.

Related  content

Sahel HDR launch event

Press Releases

report on human development

UNDP Report Points to New Directions for Accelerating Philippine Human Development

Human development in the Philippines, as in the whole Asia-Pacific Region, has been a tale of progress, disparity, and disruption. Accelerating human development ...

Ms Azusa Kubota, Resident Representative, UNDP in Sri Lanka officially hands over a copy of the Regional Human Development Report

National Launch of the 2024 Asia-Pacific Human Development Report in Sri Lanka

Nationally, the UNDP 2024 Asia-Pacific Human Development Report, titled ‘Making Our Future: New Directions for Human Development in Asia and the Pacific’ was laun...

report on human development

For Asia-Pacific, climate change poses an ‘existential threat’ of extreme weather, worsening poverty and risks to public health, says UNDP report

Climate change poses a ‘profound existential threat’ for Asia and the Pacific, with the potential to disrupt decades of progress and burden future generations wit...

report on human development

UNDP Urges Swift Action and New Directions to Advance Asia-Pacific's Human Development

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • View all journals
  • Explore content
  • About the journal
  • Publish with us
  • Sign up for alerts
  • Research Highlight
  • Published: 12 February 2024

Development

Development of the human head

  • Nina Vogt 1  

Nature Methods volume  21 ,  page 156 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

332 Accesses

14 Altmetric

Metrics details

  • Angiogenesis
  • Embryogenesis
  • Oculomotor system

The researchers focused on head development, and in particular on the development of the skull, head and neck muscles, the eyes and associated tissues, various glands and the vasculature. They began by screening antibodies to obtain a set of 36 that resulted in reproducible staining in whole-mount samples. These antibodies were then directly conjugated to fluorophores to facilitate multiplexed staining. Samples were subjected to tissue clearing after immunostaining and then to light-sheet microscopy. The researchers then segmented and annotated the 3D datasets using a virtual-reality-based approach.

For the success of the project, Chédotal found it important “to scan very large samples, much larger than before, and also to use virtual reality to analyze the 3D datasets.” Being able to visualize the samples in 3D was extremely helpful. “If you look at the datasets in 3D, you see things that you don’t see from the 2D images or even the movies”, says Chédotal. The strikingly beautiful images that he and his colleagues obtained provide insights into head skeleton formation, tongue and eye muscle development, the development of salivary and other glands as well as the morphogenesis of various arteries.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals

Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription

24,99 € / 30 days

cancel any time

Subscribe to this journal

Receive 12 print issues and online access

251,40 € per year

only 20,95 € per issue

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Nature Methods http://www.nature.com/nmeth

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nina Vogt .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

Vogt, N. Development of the human head. Nat Methods 21 , 156 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-024-02192-y

Download citation

Published : 12 February 2024

Issue Date : February 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-024-02192-y

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

Quick links

  • Explore articles by subject
  • Guide to authors
  • Editorial policies

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

report on human development

IMAGES

  1. Human Development Index (HDI) Ranking From the 2020 Human Development

    report on human development

  2. Human Development Report

    report on human development

  3. Human Development Report 2021-2022: Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives

    report on human development

  4. How to read the latest Human Development Report

    report on human development

  5. The latest Human Development Index report, released 14 September 2018

    report on human development

  6. (PDF) Human Development Report 2019- Review: Human Development, Gender

    report on human development

COMMENTS

  1. Home

    Human Development Report 2021-22 HDI Human Development Index (HDI) The HDI was created to emphasize that people and their capabilities should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country, not economic growth alone. Explore HDI, latest data, rankings and more Human Development Insights

  2. Human Development Report 2021-22

    The 2021/2022 Human Development Report unites and extends discussions from the 2019 and 2020 HDR's and the 2022 Special Report on Human Security, under the theme of uncertainty—how it is changing, what it means for human development and how we can thrive in the face of it.

  3. Human Development Report 2020

    The 2020 Human Development Report (HDR) doubles down on the belief that people's agency and empowerment can bring about the action we need if we are to live in balance with the planet in a fairer world. It shows that we are at an unprecedented moment in history, in which human activity has become a dominant force shaping the planet.

  4. PDF Human Development Report 2016: Human Development for Everyone

    and national Human Development Reports. The 2016 Report and the best of Human Development Report Office content, including publications, data, HDI rankings and related information can also be accessed on Apple iOS and Android smartphones via a new and easy to use mobile app. The cover reflects the basic message that human development is for

  5. Human Development Report

    Human Development Report Human Development Reports (HDRs) have been released most years since 1990 and have explored different themes through the human development approach. They have had an extensive influence on development debate worldwide.

  6. Human Development Report 2020

    The 30th Anniversary 2020 Human Development Report is the latest in the series of global Human Development Reports published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 1990 as independent and analytically and empirically grounded discussions of major development issues, trends and policies.

  7. Human Development Report 2021/22

    2021/22 Human Development Report. English. Français Español Uncertain times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World Scroll. introduction 2021/22 Human Development Report. Part I Uncertain times, Unsettled Lives. Part II Shaping our future in a transforming world

  8. Human Development Report 2021/22

    2021/22 Human Development Report We live in a world of worry: the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, war in Ukraine and elsewhere, record-breaking temperatures, fires and storms. Each is a troubling manifestation of an emerging, new uncertainty complex (figure 1) that is unsettling lives around the world.

  9. Human Development Report

    The Human Development Report ( HDR) is an annual Human Development Index report published by the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). [1] The first HDR was launched in 1990 by the Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq and Indian Nobel laureate Amartya Sen.

  10. PDF Overview Human Development Report 2019

    Looking beyond today, the 2019 Human Development Report articulates the rise of a new generation of inequalities. Just as the gap in basic living standards is narrowing, with an unprecedented number of people in the world escaping poverty, hunger and disease, the abilities people will need to compete in the immediate future have evolved.

  11. Human development falling behind in ninety per cent of countries: UN report

    The latest flagship UN report on human developmen t, released on Thursday, warns that multiple crises are halting progress on human development, which is going backwards in the overwhelming...

  12. The Human Development Index and related indices: what they are and what

    Measuring human development helps us understand how people's lives and livelihoods vary across the world and how they have changed over time. There are several prominent measures that try to capture these changes: The Human Development Index (HDI) The Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) The Gender Development Index (GDI)

  13. Human Development Report 2021/22

    Human development is about expanding capabilities—of wellbeing as well as of freedom and agency. This chapter explores how human agency may be a catalyst of social and economic transformations. Transformation is an opportunity to shape a world that is more just for people living today and in the future—by addressing the political, economic ...

  14. Human Development Report 2015

    This new global Human Development Report is an urgent call to tackle one of the world's great development challenges - providing enough decent work and livelihoods for all. Work provides the means to tackle poverty, empower minorities by being inclusive, and protect our environment if jobs are green in a green economy. The world of work is changing more rapidly than ever before.

  15. PDF REPORT 2021/2022

    The 2021/2022 Human Development Report is the latest in the series of global Human Development Reports published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 1990 as independent and analytically and empirically grounded discussions of major development issues, trends and policies.

  16. Human Development Index

    The Human Development Report 2022 by the United Nations Development Programme was released on 8 September 2022; the report calculates HDI values based on data collected in 2021. Ranked from 1 to 66 in the year 2021, the following countries are considered to be of "very high human development":

  17. Human Development Report 2021/2022: Uncertain Times ...

    The latest Human Development Report, "Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World", launched today by UNDP, argues that layers of uncertainty are stacking up ...

  18. Human Development Index (HDI) by Country 2024

    The Human Development Index, or HDI, is a metric compiled by the United Nations Development Programme and used to quantify a country's "average achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living."The HDI was first launched in 1990 and has been released annually ever since, with the exceptions of 2012 and 2020/21.

  19. Human development in an age of uncertainty

    That is the conclusion of the recently launched 2021-22 Human Development Report titled "Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping Our Future in a Transforming World.". Lives are being ...

  20. Human Development Report 2021-22

    Human Development Report 2021-22 Download September 8, 2022 We live in a world of worry. The ongoing Covid-19 pan­demic, having driven reversals in human development in almost every country, continues to spin off variants unpre­dictably. War in Ukraine and elsewhere has created more human suffering.

  21. 'Tale of progress, disparity, disruption:' UNDP report points to modern

    The first Human Development Report of UNDP was released 33 years ago in 1990, which marked a significant milestone by reigniting discussions on ways development should be measured. 0. 0. 0. 0.

  22. Human Development Report 2021/22

    Chapter 6. Enhancing human development is an open-ended process, and when new challenges emerge, there is often room for new opportunities. No country has reached a very high Human Development Index value with low pressures on the planet—symbolizing that our societies need to devise new ways of pursuing development.

  23. ‎In Pursuit of Development: The Genesis of the Human Development Report

    In this conversation with Dan Banik, Meghnad Desai recounts the genesis of the Human Development Report and the Human Development Index, detailing his work with Amartya Sen and Mahbub ul Haq against the backdrop of global economic challenges. ‎Show In Pursuit of Development, Ep The Genesis of the Human Development Report and Index — Meghnad ...

  24. EMRTD study "Women's active, free and meaningful ...

    Background. The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 45/6, welcomed the first report of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development (A/HRC/45/29), and requested it to implement the recommendations contained therein, including the preparation and submission to the Council of one to two thematic studies per year in the discharge of Expert Mechanism's mandate.

  25. Abundant, sustainable energy resources in the Sahel can transform the

    A new study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the 2023 Sahel Human Development Report: Sustainable Energy for Economic and Climate Security in the Sahel, reveals that in the Sahel, fossil fuels (55.9%) dominate energy production, with oil and gas comprising the majority, while renewable sources like hydro, solar, and wind ...

  26. What is Human Development?

    The human development approach, developed by the economist Mahbub Ul Haq, is anchored in Amartya Sen's work on human capabilities, often framed in terms of whether people are able to "be" and "do" desirable things in life iii. Examples include Beings: well fed, sheltered, healthy Doings: work, education, voting, participating in community life.

  27. Development of the human head

    A tridimensional atlas of the developing human head. Cell 186, 5910-5924 (2023), with permission from Elsevier. The researchers focused on head development, and in particular on the development ...

  28. MSU researchers create more realistic synthetic human mini hearts

    Their cellular complexity and physiological relevance enable the study of human heart development and disease in a dish to a degree previously unseen. "We created a model using these organoids to study the effects of maternal diabetes at every stage of development in the fetal heart," Aguirre said. "This is the definition of precision ...