Bhutan’s human development index has increased as per the UNDP’s latest Human Development Report. The Human Development Index is a tool to measure a nation’s overall achievement in social and economic dimensions, mainly in health, education, and standard of living. However, globally, the human development index has declined for the second year in a row.
The Human Development Report 2022 titled “Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World” is based on statistics from 2021.
Bhutan jumped up two positions to 127 from last year’s ranks with a Human Development Index score of 0.666.
In 2020, Bhutan had a score of 0.654. Bhutan stands in the medium human development category. The rankings are among 191 countries.
According to officials from the United Nations Development Programme, Bhutan has progressed significantly in education and health indicators. The education index improved due to the progress in years of education received by the people.
The country’s health index also increased due to the significant progress in health services.
Meanwhile, the UNDP has warned that the world is heading towards more hardship. According to the report, the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have been identified as the two primary reasons for the decline.
A press release by the UNDP states that nine out of ten countries have fallen backward in human development. Human development is reported to have fallen back to its 2016 levels. This, as per the UNDP, has overturned much of the progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
Kinley Dem
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
