Sustainable Human Development Index

Human Development Index (HDI) is a metric through which United Nations takes an emphasis of the development of the countries through their health, educational well-being and their economic growth. It can rank from 0 (undeveloped poor countries) to 1 (very rich and developed countries). Sustainable Human Development means creating same opportunities for the generations same as those for the parents. The concept of HDI was given at the World Bank by a Pakistan national and an economist, Mahboob-ul-Haq in accordance with the Indian economist, Amartya Sen the 1970s. He said that basically development means improving people’s lives. The first HDI report was launched in the 1990s and since then many reports have been launched. Norway has been the

According to reports, globally, child mortality has almost halved between 1990 and 2012 with 17,000 fewer children dying each day. Also, in Nepal, there has been 200% increase in health expenditure between 1995 and 2010. Secondly, the people of that country should have an access to knowledge. It makes a person self sufficient, and provides him freedom. Education provides a broad mind-set to the people of a country provides them with a life of dignity and status and allows them to work hard for the betterment of their country and to achieve a developed lifestyle. Similarly, in Bangladesh, educating girls and women empowerment, with government leadership and interfering of donors and NGOs have increased child immunization by 88% from 1995 to 2013 and life expectancy has increased over 20 years (ODI Development Report). Besides this, the third factor that equally counts for development is a descent standard of living. Income gives access to many options and alternatives and lack of income restricts many opportunities. Income is a base to a good education, a healthy lifestyle and to other basic necessities of life. 1.2 billion people live with $1.25 or less than that a day (UNDP, 2014). According to 2002 report, Vietnam had a poverty rate of 40% which reduced to 17% by 2008. Gross National Income per Capita has increased more than 300% since 1980 (Lao

HDI measures the development of the countries, whereas, HPI and MPI measure the poverty.

2. HDI is concerned only with health, quality education and good standard of living. HPI deals with long life instead of health, which covers certain other narratives that lead to a long life e.g. nutrition, better sanitation, good health etc. On the other hand, MPI measures health, education and good standard of living along with ten other indicators that define these three basic indicators.

3. HDI due to calculating only three main indicators has thus presented data for almost all the countries. Whereas, MPI because of further evaluation has presented data for almost 100 countries only.

4. As compared to HPI and MPI, HDI has been criticized for not presenting the accurate results due to the faulty data and its biasness towards GDP.

5. MPI is considered better than the HPI, and replaced it in 2010, as HPI could not measure people, households and separate individuals as jointly deprived. MPI has a several range of indicators to measure the poverty in a better way than HPI.

6. HDI, HPI and MPI have different formulas to be