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Methodology In general to transform a raw variable, say , into a unit-free index between 0 and 1 (which allows different indices to be added together), the following formula is used: where and are the lowest and highest values the variable can attain, respectively. The Human Development Index (HDI) then represents the average of the following three general indices:
LE: Life expectancy ALR: Adult literacy rate CGER: Combined gross enrolment ratio GDPpc: GDP per capita at PPP in USD UNDP has created a technical note on the defintion of the HDI (see links below). 2005 report The report for 2005 shows that, in general, the HDI for countries around the world is improving, with two major exceptions: Post-Soviet states, and Sub-Saharan Africa, both of which show steady decline. Worsening education, economies, and mortality rates have contributed to HDI declines amongst countries in the first group, while HIV/AIDS and concomitant mortality is the principal cause of decline in the second group. Most of the data used for the 2005 report, indicating country HDIs for 2003, are derived largely from 2003 or earlier. Not all UN member states choose to or are able to provide the necessary statistics. Notable absences from the list (excluding micro-states) are Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia, North Korea, Serbia, Montenegro, and Somalia. While these countries are either unwilling or unable to provide data, they are generally considered countries of medium to low human development. An HDI below 0.5 is considered to represent low development and 30 of the 32 countries in that category are located in Africa, with the exceptions of Haiti and Yemen. The bottom ten countries are all in Africa. The highest-scoring Sub-Saharan country, South Africa, is ranked 120th (with an HDI of 0.658), which is well above most other countries in the region. An HDI 0.8 or more is considered to represent high development. This includes countries of northern and western Europe, North America, the Southern Cone, the East Asian Tigers, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Kuwait and the UAE. Other countries that exhibit high human development amidst countries with lower HDIs include (with their position) Costa Rica (47th), Cuba (52nd) and Panama (56th). Top thirty countries (HDI range from 0.963 down to 0.878)
Top/bottom three countries by region Countries not included The following countries or territories are not ranked in the 2005 Human Development Index, for being unable or unwilling to provide the necessary data, or for not being recognized as States by the United Nations. Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania See also | ||||||||||
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