The world has gone back five years in terms of human development, according to a new UN report.
For the first time in its 32-year history, the UNDP Human Development Index -- which measures a nation’s health, education, and standard of living -- has declined for two years in a row, with human development globally falling back to 2016 levels.
At the same time, without a sharp change of course, we may be heading towards even more deprivations and injustices, warns the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The latest edition of the report, which came out on Thursday, highlights the “devastating impact” of the last two years for billions of people around the world, with the global COVID pandemic, the war in Ukraine, sweeping social and economic shifts, and dangerous planetary changes.
"We have experienced disasters before, we have had conflicts before, but the confluence of what we are facing today is a major setback for the development of humanity," Achim Steiner, UNDP administrator, told AFP news agency.
"It means that we die earlier, that we are less educated and that our incomes drop. With these three parameters, you can get an idea of why people are starting to get desperate, frustrated, worried about the future."
I don't see the UNDP Human Development Index rising anytime in the near future.
Full rankings can be found in this PDF (pages 36 - 39) in English.
Also, available as PDFs in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian and Chinese at this location.