Kathmandu, Dec. 10
Human Development Index 2019 has put Nepal in 'medium human development' category with 0.579 value, ranking 147th among the 189 countries and territories.
The country's value in 2017 was 0.574.
Nepal has made a progress of 52.6 per cent in HDI in the last 28 years, from 1990-2018, with its value increasing to 0.579 from 0.380, concluded the report Human Development Report 2019 themed 'Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today: inequalities in human development in the 21st century' published by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The report was launched in Kathmandu and seven States across the country at the same time on Tuesday.
The report has showed that Nepal had made progress in multiple sectors in the last three decades.
"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," read the report.
Meanwhile, Nepal's GNI per capita has increased by about 130.5 per cent in those 28 years.
However, when the value is discounted for inequality, Nepal's HDI falls to 0.430, a loss of 25.8 per cent, due to inequality in the distribution of the DHI dimension indices.
Similarly, Nepal's position in South Asia is not also very encouraging as it is positioned at the 6th position in the region. Sri Lanka tops the chart in the sub-continent with its position at 71st and 0.780 value followed by the Maldives with 104 position and 0.719 value. Similarly, India, Bhutan and Bangladesh are ranked at 129, 134 and 135.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are ranked at 152 and 170.
Norway, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany and Hong Kong are the top performers, and Niger, Central African Republic, Chad, South Sudan and Burundi have the worst HDI results.
Nepal's HDI trend
|
Year
|
Life expectancy
at birth
|
Expected years
of schooling
|
Mean years
Of schooling
|
GNI Per
Capita
|
HDI
|
|
1990
|
54.4
|
7.5
|
2.0
|
1,192
|
0.380
|
|
1995
|
58.6
|
8.1
|
2.2
|
1,342
|
0.411
|
|
2000
|
62.3
|
9.0
|
2.4
|
1,532
|
0.446
|
|
2005
|
65.3
|
9.6
|
2.8
|
1,682
|
0.474
|
|
2010
|
67.6
|
12.0
|
3.3
|
2,002
|
0.527
|
|
2015
|
69.5
|
12.2
|
4.7
|
2,496
|
0.568
|
|
2017
|
70.2
|
12.2
|
4.7
|
2,639
|
0.574
|
|
2018
|
70.5
|
12.2
|
4.9
|
2,748
|
0.579
|
Source: HDR 2019
Speaking at the report launching ceremony, Finance Minister Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada said that Nepal had to restructure its tax system, social security and financial system to ensure equality. "It is a challenge to us. We are distributing equal allowance to all senior citizens from all classes which has contributed to the increased disparities," he said.
Avoiding crisis including coming from climate change and technological challenges is a requisite since the able people grab the opportunities in the post-crisis scenario, he said.
He said that Nepal had a political system built on the principles of equality, but it was not yet serving to the people as per the principles and as per the need of the latter.
"We must minimise the inequality at birth, we have to reshape political and social systems like caste culture," said Dr. Khatiwada. "Political responsibility is to address those inequality through better policies and institutions building."
He also pointed towards the need to incorporate the private sector in bridging the gap as the state alone couldn't reduce the inequalities. However, he maintained that it would be another difficult task to collaborate with the private sector which was more focused to profit making.
He also demanded enhanced support from the multilateral organisations like the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation in reducing inequalities.
Ayshanie Medagangoda-Lebe, UNDP Resident Representative in Nepal, said that human development meant expanding those freedom that increased people's value as human being.
"The report looks at human inequalities- health, education and human security in shocks linked to climate change and technology," she said.
Talking about the gender equality, she said that if the world continued to do what it was doing today, it would take 202 years to close the gender gap.
Medagangoda-Lebe recommended increasing public spending in education and health and redesigning the redistribution of economic benefits.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 11 December 2019.
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