Composite indices - HDI and beyond
The Human Development Report Office has been at the forefront of developing new indices to measure human development since its first Report in 1990. While the concept of human development is much broader than any composite index can measure, these composite human development indices offer powerful alternatives to income as a summary measure of human well-being. They provide useful entry points into the rich information contained in the indicator tables covering a wide range of human development issues in the Report.
You will learn about these composite human development indices, from their definitions to how they are constructed and used to assess progress in human development across countries. You will have access to two new tools for calculating the indices, which give you a hands-on experience and facilitate immediate applications. You may also find the selected background readings helpful for a better understanding of the usefulness and limitations of these composite indices.
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The Human Development Index
(HDI)
Table 1 HDR 2007/2008 [98 KB] measures the average achievements in a
country in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy
life, knowledge and a decent standard of living. It is calculated for 177
countries and areas for which data is available. In addition human development
indicators are presented for another 17 UN member countries for which
complete data was not available.
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The Human Poverty Index (HPI-1 and
HPI-2)
Human poverty is primarily a deprivation of choices and opportunities for
living a life one has reason to value. Lack of income is therefore far too
narrow to serve as a holistic poverty indicator. As a result, a broader
measure was devised in order to capture the many—but not
exhaustive—dimensions of human poverty. The HPI-1—human poverty index for developing countries Table 3 HDR 2007/2008 [92 KB] — measures
human deprivation in the same aspects of human development as the HDI and
the HPI-2—human poverty index for developed countries Table 4 HDR 2007/2008 [70 KB]— includes, in addition to the three
dimensions in HPI-1, social exclusion.
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The Gender Related
Development Index (GDI) Table 28 HDR 2007/2008 [110 KB]is a composite index that
measures human development in the same dimensions as the HDI while
adjusting for gender inequality in those basic dimensions. Its coverage is
limited to 136 countries and areas for which the HDI rank was
recalculated. For a measure of gender inequality, one should refer to the
difference between the HDI rank and the GDI rank presented in indicator Table 24.
- The Gender Empowerment
Measure (GEM) Table 29 HDR 2007/2008 [90 KB] is a composite indicator that captures
gender inequality in three key areas: the extent of women's political
participation and decision-making, economic participation and decision
making-power and the power exerted by women over economic resources.
