Human Development Index of India and the World between 1980 and 2013

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a simple composite measure of human development that evaluates development not only by economic advances but also by improvements in human well-being. It is a composite statistic of life expectancy, education, and income indices used to rank countries with regard to human development. It is published by the United Nations Development Programme.

The Human Development Index (HDI) for the world as a whole was 0.559 in 1980. It increased to 0.597 in 1990 recording a rise of 0.038 points over 1980 and increased to 0.639 in 2000 recording a rise of 0.042 points as compared to 1990. It further increased to 0.667 in 2005 and increased to 0.693 in 2010. It marginally increased to 0.698 in 2011, increased to 0.700 in 2012 and finally increased to 0.702 in 2013. Thus, Human Development Index (HDI) for world has risen from 0.559 in 1980 to 0.702 in 2013 recording a rise of 0.143 points during the period.

The Human Development Index (HDI) for India was 0.369 in 1980. It increased to 0.431 in 1990 recording a rise of 0.062 points over 1980 and increased to 0.483 in 2000 recording a rise of 0.052 points as compared to 1990. It further increased to 0.527 in 2005 and increased to 0.57 in 2010. It again increased to 0.581 in 2011, marginally increased to 0.583 in 2012 and finally increased to 0.586 in 2013. Thus, Human Development Index (HDI) for India has risen from 0.369 in 1980 to 0.586 in 2013 recording a rise of 0.217 points during the period. HDI in case of India has shown a higher rate of increase as compared to the HDI for the world as a whole.

Note: Source: Human Development Report 2014. UNDP, and also published in statistical year book 2015 by MOSPI. HDI figures are based on new methodology.