HDI

Podcast 1 · Introduction

HDI

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

noun (abbreviation)

Pronunciation

aych-dee-EYE  /ˌeɪtʃ diː ˈaɪ/

Definition

Human Development Index — a composite statistic developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that measures and ranks countries' levels of social and economic development based on three dimensions: life expectancy, education, and gross national income per capita.

Plain meaning

The HDI is the UN's measure of how well a country is doing for its people — combining how long people live, how well educated they are, and how much money they have. It was designed to go beyond GDP as a measure of national wellbeing.

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Technical and academic in development economics, but widely used in journalism and policy. HDI country rankings are regularly reported and debated. The index is associated with the capabilities approach in development theory and with the broader movement to measure wellbeing beyond GDP.