Bangladesh 3 notches up

Human Development Index

Improvements in life expectancy, education and standard of living have helped Bangladesh to jump three ranks in the latest global survey on Human Development Index (HDI).

The Human Development Report (HDR) 2016, published yesterday, ranked Bangladesh 139th out of 188 countries, up from 142nd in 2015.
Bangladesh ranked fifth in South Asia, falling behind Sri Lanka (73), the Maldives (105), India (131) and Bhutan (132). Overall, Norway, with an HDI value of 0.949, topped the list, while the Central African Republic (0.352) came last.
The annual report was published jointly by the General Economics Division (GED), Planning Commission, and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Bangladesh, at the NEC conference room at Sher-e-Banglanagar in the city.
The publication in Bangladesh came within two weeks of the report’s global publication in Stockholm.
Planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, who was the chief guest at the event, said, “Bangladesh has shown tremendous progress in human development over the last two decades. Our average annual growth of HDI is better than any other country in South Asia. Our social indicators show that we are doing better in health, education, life expectancy at birth, while our per capita income is increasing.”
According to HDR 2016, life expectancy at birth in the country stood at 72 years, expected years of schooling at 10.2 years, mean years of schooling at 5.2 years, and gross national income (GNI) per capita at US$ 3,341.
State minister for foreign affairs, Md Shahriar Alam, said, “Bangladesh has become a role model among developing countries, as its progress in recent years has impressed the world. We have to continue our development march for providing benefits to the people, especially the marginalised and excluded ones.”
“Bangladesh has done a tremendous job in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and we are making all-out preparations to successfully implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well,” principal coordinator for SDG affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office, Abul Kalam Azad, said.
Dr Shamsul Alam, member (senior secretary), GED, Planning Commission, who chaired the session, said, “Bangladesh is marching forward unabated both in the economic and social fronts. We are graduating from a least developed country to a newly developing nation.”

Dr Selim Jahan, director, Human Development Report Office, UNDP New York and the lead author of HDR 2016, cautioned against paying too much attention on national averages, which often mask variations in people’s lives.
Presenting the key findings of the report, Jahan said, “In order to further advance, we need to examine more closely not just what has been achieved, but also who has been excluded and why.”
“The HDR gives us an insight to the development progress, but also raises two main questions—who has been left out in the development process and how and why did that happen. The data and analysis provided in the report are an important baseline for policy making, in order to ensure more inclusive human development,” said Sudipto Mukerjee, country director of UNDP Bangladesh.
Advisor to the former caretaker government Rasheda K Choudhury also spoke on the occasion.
Devised and launched in 1990, HDI is a measure for assessing progress in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and access to decent standard of living.
The report categorised Bangladesh as a “medium human development” country with an HDI value of 0.579 in 2015, an increase from 0.545 in 2010. The HDI value of Bangladesh was 0.468 in the year 2000 and 0.386 in 1990, clearly showing an upward trend in human development in the country.
The report also revealed a higher average HDI growth rate of Bangladesh (1.64%) during 1990-2015, compared to all other South Asian countries, including India (1.52%).

Bangladesh 3 notches up

Human Development Index

Improvements in life expectancy, education and standard of living have helped Bangladesh to jump three ranks in the latest global survey on Human Development Index (HDI). The Human Development Report (HDR) 2016, published yesterday, ranked Bangladesh 139th out of 188 countries, up from 142nd in 2015. Bangladesh ranked fifth in South Asia, falling behind Sri Lanka (73), the Maldives (105), India (131) and Bhutan (132). Overall, Norway, with an HDI value of 0.949, topped the list, while the Central African Republic (0.352) came last. The annual report was published jointly by the General Economics Division (GED), Planning Commission, and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Bangladesh, at the NEC conference room at Sher-e-Banglanagar in the city. The publication in Bangladesh came within two weeks of the reports global publication in Stockholm. Planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, who was the chief guest at the event, said, Bangladesh has shown tremendous progress in human development over the last two decades. Our average annual growth of HDI is better than any other country in South Asia. Our social indicators show that we are doing better in health, education, life expectancy at birth, while our per capita income is increasing. According to HDR 2016, life expectancy at birth in the country stood at 72 years, expected years of schooling at 10.2 years, mean years of schooling at 5.2 years, and gross national income (GNI) per capita at US$ 3,341. State minister for foreign affairs, Md Shahriar Alam, said, Bangladesh has become a role model among developing countries, as its progress in recent years has impressed the world. We have to continue our development march for providing benefits to the people, especially the marginalised and excluded ones. Bangladesh has done a tremendous job in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and we are making all-out preparations to successfully implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well, principal coordinator for SDG affairs at the Prime Ministers Office, Abul Kalam Azad, said. Dr Shamsul Alam, member (senior secretary), GED, Planning Commission, who chaired the session, said, Bangladesh is marching forward unabated both in theeconomic and social fronts. We are graduating from a least developed country to a newly developing nation. Dr Selim Jahan, director, Human Development Report Office, UNDP New York and the lead author of HDR 2016, cautioned against paying too much attention on national averages, which often mask variations in peoples lives. Presenting the key findings of the report, Jahan said, In order to further advance, we need to examine more closely not just what has been achieved, but also who has been excluded and why. The HDR gives us an insight to the development progress, but also raises two main questionswho has been left out in the development process and how and why did that happen. The data and analysis provided in the report are an important baseline for policy making, in order to ensure more inclusive human development, said Sudipto Mukerjee, country director of UNDP Bangladesh. Advisor to the former caretaker government Rasheda K Choudhury also spoke on the occasion. Devised and launched in 1990, HDI is a measure for assessing progress in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and access to decent standard of living. The report categorised Bangladesh as a medium human development country with an HDI value of 0.579 in 2015, an increase from 0.545 in 2010. The HDI value of Bangladesh was 0.468 in the year 2000 and 0.386 in 1990, clearly showing an upward trend in human development in the country. The report also revealed a higher average HDI growth rate of Bangladesh (1.64%) during 1990-2015, compared to all other South Asian countries, including India (1.52%).