India ranked 134th in Global Human Development Index: Human Development Report 2023/24

Current Context: The Human Development Report 2023/24, which includes the Human Development Index (HDI) rankings, was launched on 13th March 2024.

• The Human Development Index (HDI), compiled and released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is a measure of a country’s overall achievement in its social and economic dimensions.
• The HDI for 2023/24 ranked India at 134th out of 193 countries worldwide, with an HDI value of 0.644, indicating significant improvement.
• The report highlighted that life expectancy in India rose to 67.7 years, expected years of schooling reached 12.6, and mean years of schooling increased to 6.57. Additionally, Gross National Income (GNI) per capita rose to $6,951.
• India’s progress in reducing gender inequality was also noted, with a Gender Inequality Index value of 0.437 in 2022, better than the global average of 0.462 and the South Asian average of 0.478.
• The top five countries in the HDI were Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Hong Kong, and Australia.

Question:

Q.1 What was India’s rank in the Human Development Index (HDI) for 2023/24?
a. 100th
b. 134th
c. 150th
d. 193rd