Nepal’s HDI value for 2018 is 0.579 – which put the country in the medium human development category – positioning it at 147 out of 189 countries and territories – one rank up from last year’s 148 position, revealing that the country's status in human development almost remained stagnant. The rank is shared with Kenya. The report also reveals that Nepal has just maintained its position in the medium human development with the threshold of 0.55-0.69 points.
Nepal’s 2018 HDI of 0.579 is below the average of 0.634 for countries in the medium human development group and below the average of 0.642 for countries in South Asia. From South Asia, countries which are close to Nepal in 2018 HDI rank and to some extent in population size are Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, which have HDIs ranked 170 and 71 respectively .
Between 1990 and 2018, Nepal’s HDI value increased from 0.380 to 0.579, an increase of 52.6 per cent. Between 1990 and 2018, Nepal’s life expectancy at birth increased by 16.1 years, mean years of schooling increased by 2.8 years and expected years of schooling increased by 4.7 years. Likewise, Nepal’s GNI per capita increased by about 130.5 per cent between 1990 and 2018, according to the report that was launched simultaneously from Kathmandu and seven provinces in Nepal today.
Despite global progress in tackling poverty, hunger and disease, a ‘new generation of inequalities’ indicates that many societies are not working as they should and Nepal is not an exception, according to a new human development report. “The old inequalities were based on access to health services and education whereas the new generation of inequalities is based on technology, education and the climate, according to the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) report.
“Previously, we talked about wealth as a major driver for inequality but now, countries like Nepal are in another inequality trap and that concerns technology and education,” finance minister Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada said launching the report.
While South Asia was the fastest-growing region, with 46 per cent growth, in the 1990-2018 period, Nepal’s human development index (HDI) rose from 0.380 to 0.579, an increase of 52.6 per cent, the report reads, adding that people are living longer, on average, are more educated and have greater incomes. “For example, between 1990 and 2018, Nepal’s life expectancy at birth increased by 16.1 years to 70.5 years, mean years of schooling increased by 2.8 years and expected years of schooling increased by 4.7 years.”
Likewise, Nepal’s Gross National Income (GNI) per capita also increased by about 130.5 per cent between 1990 ($1,192) and 2018 ($2,748). Nepal, however, is still below the average value of 0.634 for countries in the medium human development group and below the average of 0.642 for countries in South Asia. “Nepal lags behind most South Asian countries, ranking above Pakistan (152) and Afghanistan (170). But the report, which ranks countries on their average achievement in key dimensions of human development, like life expectancy, education and per capita income, reveals that Nepal trails behind Sri Lanka (71), the Maldives (104), India (129), Bhutan (134) and Bangladesh (135).
Despite progress in most human development indicators, the report also shows that Nepal has a poor Gender Inequality Index (GII) with a value of 0.476 – a huge gap between the HDI for men and women in the country – ranking it 115 out of 162 countries. The HDI for men is 0.612 while that for women is 0.549.
“The gender equality gap is so huge that if we started working to reducing the gap now, it will take us 202 years,” resident representative of the UNDP Ayshanie Medagangoda-Labe, said at the report launch. “There are also questions about whether the artificial intelligence era will further increase inequality,” she said, adding, “Yes, but the choice is in our hands.”
The report has also pointed out that prevailing inequality is threatening human development.
Likewise, some 33.5 per cent of parliamentary seats – in Nepal – are held by women, but just 29 per cent of adult women have reached at least a secondary level of education, compared to 44.2 per cent of males, according to the report. “For every 100,000 live births, 258 women die from pregnancy-related causes.”
But female participation in the labour market is 81.7 per cent, compared to 84.4 per cent for men.
Nepal’s HDI at 0.579 is a modest improvement but when the value is discounted for inequality, the index falls to 0.430, a loss of 25.8 per cent due to inequality in the distribution of the HDI dimension indices, the UNDP flagship report reads.
Likewise, in Nepal, some 34 per cent of the population – 9.96 million people – is multidimensionally poor while an additional 22.3 per cent is classified as vulnerable to multidimensional poverty (6.54 million people). Multidimensional poverty takes into account the various deprivations experienced by poor people in their daily lives like poor health and living standards, lack of education and living in areas that are environmentally hazardous.
The breadth of deprivation in Nepal – which is the average deprivation score experienced by people in multidimensional poverty – is 43.6 per cent. The Multidimensional Poverty Index, which is the share of the population that is multidimensionally poor, adjusted by the intensity of the deprivations, is 0.148, the report reads, adding that the multidimensional poverty with income poverty is measured by the percentage of the population living below $1.90 per day.
Norway, with HDI of 0.990, stands at first position, while Sri Lanka is ranked 71st among 189 countries.
Nepal’s 2018 HDI of 0.579 is below the average of 0.634 for countries in the medium human development group and below the average of 0.642 for countries in South Asia. From South Asia, countries which are close to Nepal in 2018 HDI rank and to some extent in population size are Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, which have HDIs ranked 170 and 71 respectively .
Between 1990 and 2018, Nepal’s HDI value increased from 0.380 to 0.579, an increase of 52.6 per cent. Between 1990 and 2018, Nepal’s life expectancy at birth increased by 16.1 years, mean years of schooling increased by 2.8 years and expected years of schooling increased by 4.7 years. Likewise, Nepal’s GNI per capita increased by about 130.5 per cent between 1990 and 2018, according to the report that was launched simultaneously from Kathmandu and seven provinces in Nepal today.
Despite global progress in tackling poverty, hunger and disease, a ‘new generation of inequalities’ indicates that many societies are not working as they should and Nepal is not an exception, according to a new human development report. “The old inequalities were based on access to health services and education whereas the new generation of inequalities is based on technology, education and the climate, according to the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) report.
“Previously, we talked about wealth as a major driver for inequality but now, countries like Nepal are in another inequality trap and that concerns technology and education,” finance minister Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada said launching the report.
While South Asia was the fastest-growing region, with 46 per cent growth, in the 1990-2018 period, Nepal’s human development index (HDI) rose from 0.380 to 0.579, an increase of 52.6 per cent, the report reads, adding that people are living longer, on average, are more educated and have greater incomes. “For example, between 1990 and 2018, Nepal’s life expectancy at birth increased by 16.1 years to 70.5 years, mean years of schooling increased by 2.8 years and expected years of schooling increased by 4.7 years.”
Likewise, Nepal’s Gross National Income (GNI) per capita also increased by about 130.5 per cent between 1990 ($1,192) and 2018 ($2,748). Nepal, however, is still below the average value of 0.634 for countries in the medium human development group and below the average of 0.642 for countries in South Asia. “Nepal lags behind most South Asian countries, ranking above Pakistan (152) and Afghanistan (170). But the report, which ranks countries on their average achievement in key dimensions of human development, like life expectancy, education and per capita income, reveals that Nepal trails behind Sri Lanka (71), the Maldives (104), India (129), Bhutan (134) and Bangladesh (135).
Despite progress in most human development indicators, the report also shows that Nepal has a poor Gender Inequality Index (GII) with a value of 0.476 – a huge gap between the HDI for men and women in the country – ranking it 115 out of 162 countries. The HDI for men is 0.612 while that for women is 0.549.
“The gender equality gap is so huge that if we started working to reducing the gap now, it will take us 202 years,” resident representative of the UNDP Ayshanie Medagangoda-Labe, said at the report launch. “There are also questions about whether the artificial intelligence era will further increase inequality,” she said, adding, “Yes, but the choice is in our hands.”
The report has also pointed out that prevailing inequality is threatening human development.
Likewise, some 33.5 per cent of parliamentary seats – in Nepal – are held by women, but just 29 per cent of adult women have reached at least a secondary level of education, compared to 44.2 per cent of males, according to the report. “For every 100,000 live births, 258 women die from pregnancy-related causes.”
But female participation in the labour market is 81.7 per cent, compared to 84.4 per cent for men.
Nepal’s HDI at 0.579 is a modest improvement but when the value is discounted for inequality, the index falls to 0.430, a loss of 25.8 per cent due to inequality in the distribution of the HDI dimension indices, the UNDP flagship report reads.
Likewise, in Nepal, some 34 per cent of the population – 9.96 million people – is multidimensionally poor while an additional 22.3 per cent is classified as vulnerable to multidimensional poverty (6.54 million people). Multidimensional poverty takes into account the various deprivations experienced by poor people in their daily lives like poor health and living standards, lack of education and living in areas that are environmentally hazardous.
The breadth of deprivation in Nepal – which is the average deprivation score experienced by people in multidimensional poverty – is 43.6 per cent. The Multidimensional Poverty Index, which is the share of the population that is multidimensionally poor, adjusted by the intensity of the deprivations, is 0.148, the report reads, adding that the multidimensional poverty with income poverty is measured by the percentage of the population living below $1.90 per day.
Norway, with HDI of 0.990, stands at first position, while Sri Lanka is ranked 71st among 189 countries.
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