India's HDI ranking improves for 2023
India continued its rise on the Human Development Index (HDI), improving its ranking from 133 in 2022 to 130 out of 193 countries in 2023, according to the 2025 Human Development Report (HDR) released by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) on Tuesday. Transit oriented development site at Karkardooma, East Delhi being developed by DDA. The planned densified mixed development is aimed at reducing traffic congestion and air pollution in New Delhi, India, on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Hindustan Times)
The 2025 HDR, titled 'A matter of choice: People and possibilities in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)', linked India's progress to improvements in health, education, and income. The report highlighted the critical role of AI in shaping the next chapter of human development — particularly in fast-growing economies like India.
India's HDI increased from 0.644 in 2022 to 0.685 in 2023 even as the country remained in the medium human development category, moving closer to the threshold for high human development (HDI ≥ 0.700), with its score at par with Bangladesh's. Pakistan ranked 168th (0.544), Nepal 145th (0.622), and Sri Lanka 89th (0.776).
According to the report, life expectancy in India increased slightly from 71.7 years in 2022 to 72 years in 2023, marking the highest level recorded for the country. While expected years of schooling remained nearly unchanged, moving from 12.96 to 12.95 years, mean years of schooling saw a notable increase from 6.57 to 6.88 years, the report said.
The report lauded India's progress in school education, especially from 1990, and credited initiatives such as the Right to Education Act, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), and the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. However, quality and learning outcomes remain areas for continued focus, it said.
Additionally, India's Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, measured in 2021 purchasing power parity (PPP), rose from $8,475.68 to $9,046.76, reflecting ongoing economic growth.
'We congratulate India on its notable progress in the Human Development Index, rising from rank 133 in 2022 to 130 in 2023. This advancement reflects sustained improvements in key dimensions of human development, particularly in mean years of schooling and national income per capita,' Angela Lusigi, resident representative, UNDP India, said.
Lusigi added that 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 Covid-19 pandemic and its investments and commitment to long-term human well-being.
On the Gender Development Index (GDI), women scored 0.631 compared to men's 0.722, with India ranking 102nd on the GDI with a score of 0.403, lagging in reproductive health, political representation, and workforce participation.
The report referenced ethical concerns in India's gig economy, citing labour actions by female workers. 'These efforts culminated in the largest nationwide labour action by female gig workers working with Urban Company in India to resist algorithmic management practices,' it said.
Among BRICS members, India trailed Brazil (89th), Russia (59th), China (75th), and South Africa (110th). Regionally, Sri Lanka led while Nepal and Bhutan lagged.
The report said India is also positioning itself as a leader in the global AI landscape. The country has the highest self-reported AI skills penetration and is now retaining more of its homegrown AI talent — 20% of Indian AI researchers remain in the country, up from nearly zero in 2019.
Globally, HDI progress slowed to its weakest pace since 1990, excluding pandemic years. The gap between very high and low HDI countries widened for the fourth consecutive year, reversing decades of narrowing disparities.
All regions faced stalled HDI growth projections for 2024. '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,' said UNDP administrator Achim Steiner.
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