Human Development Foundation

Human Development in South Asia

There are more than One Billion people living in South Asia today. The annual per capita expenditure on human priority areas of basic education, primary health care, family planning, safe drinking water, and nutritional programs is just $3 in Pakistan and $2 dollars in Bangladesh. To put this in perspective one might compare to other Asian nations such as Malaysia ($123) and Korea ($133). East Asian nations have highlighted investment in Human Development as a key strategy of economic growth. This idea has unfortunately not reached the policy makers in South Asia. As a result, all countries in South Asia (except Sri Lanka) fall into the category of Low Human Development. The first questions that many might ask is where will this money come from? South Asia' share in global income is only 2%. However we have found a way to share in 20% of global arms imports. In Pakistan, soldiers outnumber doctors by 10 to 1.

Comparing countries to one another is an important tool in understanding areas in which South Asia must improve. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has developed a series of indexes which appear annually in its Human Development Report in an effort to better understand where a nation stands in terms of the rest of the world.

The HDI or Human Development Index measures the overall achievements in a country in three basic dimensions of human development--- longevity, knowledge, and a decent standard of living. It is measured by life expectancy, educational attainment, and adjusted income per capita in purchasing power parity.

To view a Human Development Profile of South Asia click here.

While the HDI measures overall progress in a country the Human Poverty Index or HPI reflects the distribution of progress and measures the backlog of deprivations that still exist. The Human Poverty Index or HPI

To see how South Asia ranks in the HPI click here.

The Gender Related Development Index or GDI measures achievements in the same dimensions and using the same indicators as the HDI but captures inequalities in achievement between women and men.

To see how South Asia fared in Gender Related Development click here.

The Gender Empowerment Measure or GEM reveals whether women can take an active part in economic or political life. It focuses on participation, measuring gender inequality in key areas of political participation and decision-making.

To view GEM rankings click here.

The fight against corruption is of the most difficult and important battles that South Asia faces today. Transparency International is a civil society organization dedicated to curbing both international and national corruption. Each year they publish the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), which reflects the degree to which, corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians. This 2001 index ranks 91 nations. Among these are three countries from South Asia (Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India).

To see where these three countries rank in the 2001 CPI click here.

The Human Development Foundation hopes that the above statistics will better help you to understand what we are fighting for. We urge you to help us in this endeavor.

To join the Human Development Movement click here.

Human Development Profile of South Asia

Human Poverty Index (HPI)

Gender Related Development Index (GDI)

Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM)

Corruption Percentage Index (CPI)

Date/Time Last Modified: 6/17/2002 4:32:36 PM

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