Question

Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follows:

The concept of human development was introduced by Dr Mahbub-ul-Haq. Dr Haq has described human development as development that enlarges people’s choices and improves their lives. People are central to all development under this concept. These choices are not fixed but keep on changing. The basic goal of development is to create conditions where people can live meaningful lives. The human development index (HDI) ranks the countries based on their performance in the key areas of health, education and access to resources. These rankings are based on a score between 0 to 1 that a country earns from its record in the key areas of human development. The ways to measure human development are constantly being refined and newer ways of capturing different elements of human development are being researched. Researchers have found links between the level of corruption or political freedom in a particular region. India ranks 132 out of 191 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI) 2021, after registering a decline in its score over two consecutive years for the first time in two decades. The 2023 HDI stands at a new high following steep decline during 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the 2023-24 Human Development Report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on March 13, 2024. The report found that rich countries experienced unprecedented development. But half of the world’s poorest nations continued to languish below their pre-COVID crisis levels. The 2023-24 Human Development Report identified Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland as leading the national human development indices, while the Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Somalia lagged the furthest behind.

1. What does the Human Development Index (HDI) measure according to the source?
2. What significant trend did the 2023 HDI report highlight regarding the world’s poorest nations?
3. Which three countries were ranked highest in the 2023 Human Development Index?

Answer 1

1. The HDI measures a country’s gross national income per capita, education, and life expectancy.
2. The report highlighted that half of the world’s poorest nations continued to remain below their pre-COVID crisis levels.
3. The three highest-ranked countries in the 2023 HDI were Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland.