The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) uses the
Human Development Index (HDI) as a key measure to assess the level of
development in different countries.
The HDI is calculated based on three dimensions of human
development:
- Health:
This is measured by life expectancy at birth.
- Education:
This is measured by years of schooling and expected years of schooling.
- Income:
This is measured by Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.
The HDI ranges from 0 to 1, with higher values indicating
higher levels of human development. In addition to the HDI, the UNDP also looks
at other indicators of development, such as poverty rates, gender equality, and
access to basic services like clean water and sanitation.
HDI is a widely recognized measure of development, it is not
without its limitations. For example, it does not take into account factors
such as inequality, environmental sustainability, and political freedom, which
are also important for measuring development.