NEW DELHI: India ranked at 130 out of 193 countries in 2023 on the human development index marking a 3 point improvement from 133 in the previous year. According to UNDP ’s human development report 2025 released today, India also showed progress in reducing gender inequality finding itself ranked at 102 on the gender inequality index (GII) out of 193, as compared to 108 out of 166 countries in 2022.
However, as far as India’s performance on the gender development index goes its score in 2023 is 0.874 keeping it in group 5 countries that have ranked low on eradicating the gap.
With an HDI value of 0.685 while India remains in the “medium human development category” it is moving closer to the threshold for high human development which calls for a value of more than 0.700. India’s HDI value has increased by over 53 per cent since 1990, growing faster than both the global and South Asian averages. “This progress has been fueled by economic growth and targeted social protection and welfare programmes,” UNDP notes.
India life expectancy at birth contributed among other factors to the improved ranking which was 71.7 years in 2022 and rose to 72 years in 2023. Citing that life expectancy was 58.6 years in 1990 UNDP highlights that life expectancy is the highest since the inception of the index, signaling a strong recovery from the pandemic and its impact on life expectancy.
UNDP highlights that the national health programmes by successive governments such as the national rural health mission, ayushman bharat , janani suraksha yojana, and poshan abhiyaan have contributed significantly to this achievement.
Expected years of schooling remain almost the same at nearly 13 over 2022 and 2023. Mean years of schooling rose marginally to 6.9 in 2023 from 6.6 in the previous year. Gross National Income per capita rose to $9047 from $8475 in 2022.
“Children today are expected to stay in school for 13 years on average, up from 8.2 years in 1990. Initiatives like the Right to Education Act , samagra shiksha Abhiyan, the national education policy 2020 have enhanced outcomes. However, quality and learning outcomes remain areas for continued focus.
On the economic front, India’s gross national income per capita rose over four times, from $2167.22 (1990) to $9046.76 (2023) based on 2021 PPP $. “Over the years, India’s progress on economic growth and investments in programmes like MGNREGA, jan dhan yojana, and digital inclusion have contributed to poverty reduction. Importantly, 135 million Indians escaped multidimensional poverty between 2015-16 and 2019-21,” the UNDP said in its statement.
However, challenges persist. The report highlights that inequality reduces India’s HDI by 30.7 per cent, one of the highest losses in the region. While health and education inequality have improved, income and gender disparities remain significant. Female labour force participation and political representation lag, though recent steps, such as the constitutional amendment reserving one-third of legislative seats for women—offer promise for transformative change.
Bangladesh at the same rank as India at 130, Nepal at 145 and Bhutan at 125 share space with India in ‘medium human development’ category. Pakistan’s score worsened from 164 to 168 and Afghanistan improved by a point ranking at 181. Both countries figure in the low human development category. China at 78 and Sri Lanka at 89 continue to figure in the ‘high human development’ category.
Iceland with an HDI value of 0.972 ranked at the top of the Index followed by Norway and Switzerland and South Sudan was at the bottom at 193 with a value of 0.388.
Congratulating India for its notable progress in the Human Development Index, rising from rank 133 in 2022 to 130 in 2023, Angela Lusigi , resident representative, UNDP India said this advancement reflects sustained improvements in key dimensions of human development, particularly in mean years of schooling and national income per capita.
“India’s life expectancy reaching its highest level since the inception of the index is a testament to the country’s robust recovery from the pandemic and its investments and commitment to long-term human well-being,” Angela Lusigi, resident representative, she added.
“With a renewed focus on women-led development, quality education and healthcare for all India is well positioned to achieve inclusive growth and continued progress on human development,” Lusigi further added.
Meanwhile, global trends reflect that human development progress has slowed to an unprecedented 35-year low The 2025 human development report. "A matter of choice: people and possibilities in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)" shows that projections for 2024 reveal stalled progress on the HDI in all regions across the world. However,it also highlights that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could reignite development. Findings of a new survey show that 60% of people are hopeful Artificial Intelligence will create new job opportunities.
According to the report, global trends reflect that instead of seeing sustained recovery following the period of exceptional crises of 2020-2021, the report reveals unexpectedly weak progress. Excluding those crisis years, the meagre rise in global human development projected in this year’s report is the smallest increase since 1990.
“For decades, we have been on track to reach a very high human development world by 2030, but this deceleration signals a very real threat to global progress,” said Achim Steiner , UNDP administrator. “If 2024’s sluggish progress becomes ‘the new normal’, that 2030 milestone could slip by decades – making our world less secure, more divided, and more vulnerable to economic and ecological shocks,” Steiner said.
For the fourth year in a row inequality between Low HDI and Very High HDI countries continues to increase, according to the report. This reverses a long-term trend that has seen a reduction in inequalities between wealthy and poor nations.
“Amidst this global turmoil, we must urgently explore new ways to drive development,” the UNDP administrator asserted.
However, as far as India’s performance on the gender development index goes its score in 2023 is 0.874 keeping it in group 5 countries that have ranked low on eradicating the gap.
With an HDI value of 0.685 while India remains in the “medium human development category” it is moving closer to the threshold for high human development which calls for a value of more than 0.700. India’s HDI value has increased by over 53 per cent since 1990, growing faster than both the global and South Asian averages. “This progress has been fueled by economic growth and targeted social protection and welfare programmes,” UNDP notes.
India life expectancy at birth contributed among other factors to the improved ranking which was 71.7 years in 2022 and rose to 72 years in 2023. Citing that life expectancy was 58.6 years in 1990 UNDP highlights that life expectancy is the highest since the inception of the index, signaling a strong recovery from the pandemic and its impact on life expectancy.
UNDP highlights that the national health programmes by successive governments such as the national rural health mission, ayushman bharat , janani suraksha yojana, and poshan abhiyaan have contributed significantly to this achievement.
Expected years of schooling remain almost the same at nearly 13 over 2022 and 2023. Mean years of schooling rose marginally to 6.9 in 2023 from 6.6 in the previous year. Gross National Income per capita rose to $9047 from $8475 in 2022.
“Children today are expected to stay in school for 13 years on average, up from 8.2 years in 1990. Initiatives like the Right to Education Act , samagra shiksha Abhiyan, the national education policy 2020 have enhanced outcomes. However, quality and learning outcomes remain areas for continued focus.
On the economic front, India’s gross national income per capita rose over four times, from $2167.22 (1990) to $9046.76 (2023) based on 2021 PPP $. “Over the years, India’s progress on economic growth and investments in programmes like MGNREGA, jan dhan yojana, and digital inclusion have contributed to poverty reduction. Importantly, 135 million Indians escaped multidimensional poverty between 2015-16 and 2019-21,” the UNDP said in its statement.
However, challenges persist. The report highlights that inequality reduces India’s HDI by 30.7 per cent, one of the highest losses in the region. While health and education inequality have improved, income and gender disparities remain significant. Female labour force participation and political representation lag, though recent steps, such as the constitutional amendment reserving one-third of legislative seats for women—offer promise for transformative change.
Bangladesh at the same rank as India at 130, Nepal at 145 and Bhutan at 125 share space with India in ‘medium human development’ category. Pakistan’s score worsened from 164 to 168 and Afghanistan improved by a point ranking at 181. Both countries figure in the low human development category. China at 78 and Sri Lanka at 89 continue to figure in the ‘high human development’ category.
Iceland with an HDI value of 0.972 ranked at the top of the Index followed by Norway and Switzerland and South Sudan was at the bottom at 193 with a value of 0.388.
Congratulating India for its notable progress in the Human Development Index, rising from rank 133 in 2022 to 130 in 2023, Angela Lusigi , resident representative, UNDP India said this advancement reflects sustained improvements in key dimensions of human development, particularly in mean years of schooling and national income per capita.
“India’s life expectancy reaching its highest level since the inception of the index is a testament to the country’s robust recovery from the pandemic and its investments and commitment to long-term human well-being,” Angela Lusigi, resident representative, she added.
“With a renewed focus on women-led development, quality education and healthcare for all India is well positioned to achieve inclusive growth and continued progress on human development,” Lusigi further added.
Meanwhile, global trends reflect that human development progress has slowed to an unprecedented 35-year low The 2025 human development report. "A matter of choice: people and possibilities in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)" shows that projections for 2024 reveal stalled progress on the HDI in all regions across the world. However,it also highlights that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could reignite development. Findings of a new survey show that 60% of people are hopeful Artificial Intelligence will create new job opportunities.
According to the report, global trends reflect that instead of seeing sustained recovery following the period of exceptional crises of 2020-2021, the report reveals unexpectedly weak progress. Excluding those crisis years, the meagre rise in global human development projected in this year’s report is the smallest increase since 1990.
“For decades, we have been on track to reach a very high human development world by 2030, but this deceleration signals a very real threat to global progress,” said Achim Steiner , UNDP administrator. “If 2024’s sluggish progress becomes ‘the new normal’, that 2030 milestone could slip by decades – making our world less secure, more divided, and more vulnerable to economic and ecological shocks,” Steiner said.
For the fourth year in a row inequality between Low HDI and Very High HDI countries continues to increase, according to the report. This reverses a long-term trend that has seen a reduction in inequalities between wealthy and poor nations.
“Amidst this global turmoil, we must urgently explore new ways to drive development,” the UNDP administrator asserted.
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