Human Development Index

Kazakhstan has retained its positions in the annual Human Development Index (hereinafter referred to as HDI, ed.) And is still included in the category of countries with a very high level of human development, ranking 51st among 189 countries and territories.

The new report by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has been published. In the thirtieth anniversary edition of the Human Development Report, A New Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene, a new, experimental approach to the compilation of the annual Human Development Index (HDI) is presented. By including in the HDI, which takes into account such indicators as health, education and living standards in the country, two additional elements - the volume of carbon dioxide emissions and the resource consumption of the country - the index shows how the global picture of development would change if, in determining the progress of mankind as  key elements considered human well-being and relieving pressure on the planet. Thanks to this HDI, adjusted for the pressure on the planet, a new picture of the world is emerging, which gives clearer assessment of human progress.

More than 50 countries drop out of the very high level of development group due to their dependence on fossil fuels and the volume of resources.

“Kazakhstan has retained its position in the HDI and is still included in the category of states with a very high level of human development, taking 51st place among 189 countries and territories. Overall, Kazakhstan's importance in the HDI ranking has improved significantly since 1990, increasing by 19.6%. However, the country has a number of environmental problems, such as, for example, high levels of carbon dioxide emissions and consumption of energy generated from fossil fuels. Taking into account the fact that the new Human Development Report adjusts the HDI indicators Kazakhstan may worsen its position if the key challenges of the Anthropocene era are not addressed, ” said Yakup Berish, UNDP Resident Representative in Kazakhstan.

The report argues that the next frontier of human development will require working with nature, rather than against it, while simultaneously transforming norms, values, government and financial incentives.

Human Development Index is a composite indicator for assessing long-term achievements in three main dimensions of human development: health and longevity, access to education and a decent standard of living. The measurement of health and longevity is assessed by life expectancy.  The level of knowledge is measured by the average length of education of the adult population. Living standards are measured in terms of gross national income (GNI) per capita.