Human Development and Human development Index (HDI)

What is human development

Creating an environment in which people can do the following.

Human development means that people can

• lead long healthy lives

• lead productive and creative lives according to their needs and interests

• Access resources needed for a decent standard of living

• Access knowledge and expand their choices and capability

• participate in the life of the community

• participate in the decisions that affect their lives

What does the HDI mean/measure

measures the level of human development experienced by countries and it gives a number between 0-1

the dimentions of HDI are

A long healthy life, knowledge, a decent standard of living

Indicators of a long healthy life

life expectancy at birth: the average number of years a person is expected to live

Indicators of knowledge

mean years of schooling: the average education level of adults (25+)
expected years of schooling: the number of years a child is expected to recieve

indicator of a decent standard of living

Gross National Income per capita: the total national income divided by the population

Advantages of HDI

Simplifies comparison, easier to track the progress of countries,, goes beyond economic factors - offering a more comprehensive view of human development through: Knowledge, and life expectancy at birth

Disadvantages of HDI

• Only uses 4 indicators - doesn’t reflect all aspects of human development

• Based on national averages so may hide inequalities in level of HD experienced by diff groups

• HDI relies on countries to provide a range of data which can be inaccurate

• No personal wellbeing data collected so it doesn’t reflect how people feel