The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released its “2024 Asia-Pacific Human Development Report: Making Our Future: New Directions for Human Development in Asia and the Pacific” stating India among the top countries with high income and highest wealth inequality, despite rapid economic growth.
Highlights:
i.Income Growth: Between 2000 and 2022, India’s per capita income increased from USD 442 to USD 2,389.
ii.Poverty Reduction: From 2004 to 2019, poverty rates (based on USD 2.15 per day) dropped from 40% to 10%.
iii.Multidimensional Poverty: India’s population in multidimensional poverty decreased from 25% to 15% between 2015-16 and 2019-21.
iv.Persistent Poverty: Despite progress, poverty remains concentrated in states housing 45% of the population but 62% of the poor.
v.Vulnerable Groups: Women, informal workers, and inter-state migrants are at risk of falling back into poverty.
vi.Gender Disparity: Women constitute only 23% of the labor force, with growing income disparity despite rapid economic growth.
vii.The report calls for three new directions in human development viz.
- Emphasize placing people at the core of development efforts.
- Recalibrate growth strategies to generate more jobs and respect the environment,
- Prioritize political reforms and efficient delivery mechanisms to transform ideas into practical implementations.
Points to note:
i.While the Asia-Pacific region accounts for two-third of global economic growth in 2023, the income and wealth disparities are worsening, particularly in South Asia, where the wealthiest 10% control over half of total income.
ii.The report stated that more than 185 million people continue to live in extreme poverty (earning below USD 2.15/day). This is expected to increase following the economic shock of COVID-19 pandemic.
iii.The report highlighted that to overcome the existing challenges, the countries need to prioritise investments in human development.
Recent Related News:
i.The latest update of the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) was released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom(UK). As per it, a total of 415 million people moved out of poverty in India within just 15 years from 2005/2006 to 2019/2021 showing 55.1% decrease in 2005-06 to 16.4% in 2019-2021.
ii.The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released its report titled ‘Women and Men in India 2022’ which is 24th in a series. As per it, an average Indian woman, aged between 15 and 29 spends 5.5 hours doing unpaid labour. A man in that age group spends about 50 minutes a day doing work that yields no money.
About United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
Administrator– Achim Steiner
Headquarters– New York, United States of America
