On 6th May 2025, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released a report titled “Human Development Report (HDR) 2025– A matter of choice: people and possibilities in the age of Artificial Intelligence” with the theme “Harnessing Digital Transformation to Advance Human Development”.
- India is ranked at 130 in 2023 Human Development Index (HDI), with score of 0.685, moving three places higher from 133 in 2022 with a score of 0.676.
- India is maintaining its status in the medium human development category, maintaining its position in the medium human development category. This upward trend brings India closer to the high human development threshold, set at an HDI of 0.700.
- Iceland has secured the top position globally witha HDI score of 0.972. It is followed by Norway(0.970) and Switzerland – 0.970.
About Human Development Index(HDI):
The Human Development Index (HDI), introduced in 1990, is an annual Human Development Index Report (HDIR) published by the Human Development Report Office of the UNDP.
- It 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.
- The report consists of insights into 193 countries and territories worldwide, measuring gender gaps, inequality, planetary pressures and poverty.
Highlights of Human Development Report (HDR) 2025:
i.The 2025 HDR reveals a marked deceleration in global human development, recording the slowest HDI growth since 1990 (excluding the pandemic years). This stagnation stems from deepening inequalities and unequal access to emerging technologies.
ii.India is at par with Bangladesh (0.685), with its neighbouring countries Srilanka (0.776) at 89th place, Nepal (0.622) at 145th, Pakistan (0.544) at 168th and Bhutan (0.698) at 125th rank.
Top 5 countries in HDR 2025:
| Rank | Country | HDI Score(2023) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iceland | 0.972 |
| 2 | Norway | 0.970 |
| 2 | Switzerland | 0.970 |
| 4 | Denmark | 0.962 |
| 5 | Germany | 0.959 |
| 130 | India | 0.685 |
Bottom 5 countries in HDR 2025:
| Rank | Country | HDI Score(2023) |
|---|---|---|
| 193 | South Sudan | 0.388 |
| 192 | Chad | 0.404 |
| 191 | Niger | 0.414 |
| 190 | Central African Republic | 0.416 |
| 189 | Burundi | 0.419 |
Key Findings of India:
i.India improved its position on the Gender Inequality Index (GII), moving from 108th out of 166 countries in 2022 to 102nd out of 193 countries in 2023.
- India’s GDI score of 0.874 places it in Group 5, the lowest category, reflecting persistent inequalities between men and women in key areas such as health, education, and economic participation.
ii.India’s life expectancy rose from 58.6 years in 1990 to 72 years in 2023, reaching a new high.
- As per the report, the growth is driven by the flagship health programmes like the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Ayushman Bharat (AB), Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and Poshan Abhiyaan (PA).
- The above schemes have helped reduce multi-dimensional poverty, lifting 135 million people out of it between 2015-16 and 2019-21.
iii.As per the report, the average years of schooling have increased from 8.2 in 1990 to 13 years in 2023, driven by reforms like the Right to Education Act (RTE), Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
- The report notifies that the learning outcomes and quality remain key challenges.
iv.The Gross National Income (GNI) of India, increased over 53%, from USD 2,167.22 in 1990 to USD 9,046.76 in 2023, rising faster than global and South Asian averages, with economic growth and social investments, including schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY).
iv.India is also recognized as a rising Artificial intelligence (AI) leader, with the highest self-reported AI skills penetration globally.
- 20% of Indian AI researchers, choosing to remain in India, compared to near zero in 2019, is the witness of growing talent retention.
Challenged persisting in India:
i.Despite progress, inequality continues to hinder human development in India. As per the report, inequality led to a 30.7% reduction in India’s HDI value, the highest loss in the region.
ii.Disparities in education and healthcare have lessened, income and gender gaps exist.
- Low female labour participation and limited political representation are the notable concerns in India.
iii.The report also warns of global stagnation in human development. The current pace is the slowest since 1990.
Note: The gap between Low and Very High HDI countries have widened for the fourth-consecutive year.
About United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):
Administrator – Achim Steiner
Headquarters – New York, the United States of America(USA)
Establishment – 1965
