Philippines ranks 114th in Human Devt Index

The Philippines ranked 114th out of 186 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI) and remained at the medium human development category, according to the recent report released by the United Nations Development Program.

HDI is a composite index measuring average achievement in three basic dimensions of human development—long and healthy life, knowledge and a decent standard of living.

Titled: The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World, the report said that with an index value of 0.654 in 2012, the country showed improvement for the past 30 years. Between 1980 and 2012, Philippines’s index value increased from 0.550 to 0.654.

“About half the progress in development, measured by the HDI, over the past 30 years is unexplained by the initial HDI value in 1980. Countries that start at a similar level—such as India and Pakistan, Chile and Venezuela, Malaysia and the Philippines, or Liberia and Senegal—have ended up with different outcomes,” it said.

However, the Philippines showed no improvement from the index ranking in 2011, which positioned the country at 112 out of 187 countries and territories.

The index showed that in 2012, life expectancy at birth was age 69, mean years of schooling was 8.9 years and expected years of schooling was 11.7 years.

In terms of gender inequality, the country was ranked 77 out of 186 countries in the index.

The report explained that the ranking was based on inequalities in three dimensions—reproductive health, empowerment and economic activity.

Moreover, the index said that 22.1 percent of parliamentary seats are held by women.

It also noted that for every 100,000 live births, 99 women die from pregnancy related causes.

Female participation in the labor market is 49.7 percent compared to 79.4 for men, it added.

Meanwhile, the report also showed that about 18.4 percent of the Philippine population survive on less than $1.25 a day; 9.1 percent are vulnerable to poverty; and 5.7 percent are in severe poverty. –MAYVELYN U. CARABALLO, Manila Times