Human Development In The Islamic World
Introduction
It is difficult to give a detailed picture of Human Development
in the Islamic world, given the large number of Muslim nations with their
varied geographical distributions and population. The Islamic world spans
all three divisions of human development (high, medium, and low) outlined
in the 2001 Human Development Report issued by the United Nations Development
Program. The majority of the Islamic world lies in the middle and low categories
of human development, a clear indication that the Islamic nations needs to
increase their focus on human development.
The following report attempts to give a brief overview of the
general current status of human
development in the Islamic world.
For detailed figures on each country,
please visit the Human Development
report website at www.undp.org/hdr2001/indicator/index.html.
Most of the figures included in
this report are from 1999, though
some may date back to 1997, as they
were the most recent figures published
in the report. The countries included
in the figures were selected based
on their membership in the OIC (Organization
of Islamic Conference).
Human
Development In Islamic Nations
Tables 1A, 1B and 1C (High, Medium and Low HDI Islamic Countries
respectively) provide some broad
figures depicting the state of human
development in the selected Islamic
states. Sorted according to the
Human Development Index (HDI) rank,
other figures include the HDI value,
the average life expectancy of the
populace, an education index (1
being the highest score, and 0 the
lowest), adult literacy percentages,
an estimate of the per capita Gross
Domestic Product (GDP, in terms
of the Purchasing Power Parity-
PPP US dollars), and the GDP per
capita rank minus the HDI rank.
The last data column (GDP rank minus HDI rank) represents the
difference found between a country’s
wealth and the actual development
of its human resources. Countries
with large, negative values for
GDP rank minus HDI rank (such as
Qatar, Oman, and Algeria) indicate
a gap in translating the society’s
wealth into positive social development.
Yet such high differences also indicate
the potential for these countries
to make strides in the currently
lagging human development. On the
other hand, countries with a large,
positive GDP rank minus HDI rank
(such as Uzbekistan, Yemen, and
Sudan) show that the pace of social
development has exceeded the pace
of economic development, an encouraging
indicator.
Human and Income Poverty in Islamic Nations
Closely related to the trends of human development are the
trends in poverty levels within
a country. Tables 2A,
2B and 2C show the
available data on the poverty levels
found within the selected Islamic
nations. A Human Poverty Index (HPI)
rank sorts the countries, while
other data fields tell of the HPI
value, the percentage of the country’s
population living on less than $1
per day and below the national poverty
line.
Though the data is incomplete, the list of countries that have
the necessary data indicate similar
findings as in Tables 1A, 1B and
1C. Low human development counties
such as Pakistan and Uganda have
low HPI rankings, as nearly 35-40%
of their populations live below
the national poverty line.
Gender Related Development
Another important indication of the progress and status of
development in society is statistics
related to the level of gender equality.
The media often portrays Islamic
society negatively due to the status
of women in Muslim countries. Tables
3A,
3B and 3C show that
the Islamic nations with higher
levels of human development also
have greater gender development
(i.e. Brunei Darussalam), while
countries with lower levels of human
development and lower economic development
have greater differences between
female and male literacy and lower
levels of female literacy. The countries
are sorted by the Human Development
Index (HDI) rank, and the information
includes the Gender Related Development
Index (GDI) rank, GDI value, adult
female and male literacy rates,
and the difference between the HDI
and the GDI. "The HDI ranks
used in this column are those recalculated
for the 146 countries with a GDI
value. A positive figure indicates
that the GDI rank is higher than
the HDI rank, a negative the opposite"
(HDR 2001).
What is being done?
Problems of illiteracy and poverty will not solve themselves
– resources must be mobilized
to make a concerted effort in addressing
the situation. It is no surprise
that the nations which scored amongst
the lowest among Muslim nations
in human development, also have
the fewest public resources directed
towards improving education or health.
It is a sad state of affairs when
military spending and debt financing
are greater than education and health
spending, nearly across the board.
Certainly, governments must step
up their focus on these crucial
aspects of human development, even
if non-governmental organizations
are doing their part. Tables 4A,
4B and 4C show the
government allocations (in % GNP,
Gross National Product) towards
education; other figures include
percentages for health, debt servicing,
and military spending (in % GDP).
Conclusion
This report is by no means a comprehensive study of human development
in the Islamic world; rather, this is only a brief introduction to the subject
and a summary of its current status. Most Islamic nations fall in the low
and medium human development category, a clear sign that much work must be
done. Key indicators of progress should be tracked in order to assess the
progress of development in education, health, life expectancy, gender, literacy,
and overall poverty. Many of the countries have a long way to go, but there
are many examples of successful Muslim nations for them to follow - may Allah
help them.
At HDF, we believe that the Muslim Diaspora in North America
and Europe can play a key role in
facilitatingand lobbying for policy
changes to improve the lives of
people in developing countries.
Let us work together to start a
movement for this positive social
change.
1 For the purpose of this article Islamic
Nations refers to members of the
OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries.)
