Human Development Index has fallen in the last 10 years

Mozambique rose four places in the World Human Development Index (HDI), moving from place 185 to position 183, out of a group of 193 countries, currently becoming the 11th worst country in the world to live in.

According to data from the latest Human Development Index Report, released last week by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the country has a value of 0.461 (0.002 more compared to 2021), which continues to represent a low index of human development.

The Report, presented on Friday in Maputo, explains that the increase was due, on the one hand, to the country’s good performance and, on the other, to the poor performances of Sierra Leone, Yemen and Burkina Faso. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of Mozambique is 1,219 USD.

The document also highlights the rise, in general, of the HDI in Mozambique since 1990. It reveals that the value of the HDI in Mozambique went from 0.239, in 1990, to 0.461, a variation of 92.9%. It also states that, in this period, life expectancy at birth changed from 44.4 to 59.2 years; that the expected years of schooling changed from 0.1 to 7 years; and the Gross Domestic Product per capita (per citizen) changed by around 174.8%.

However, in its assessment, the UNDP reveals that Mozambique’s HDI has fallen in the last 10 years, having registered a deceleration of 1.04%. The United Nations agency does not explain the reasons for this slowdown, just as it does not explain the reasons for Mozambique’s rise, at a time when citizens have lost their purchasing power.

It should be noted that the 2023/24 Human Development Index is led by Switzerland, followed by Norway and Iceland. The last place is occupied by Somalia. At the level of Portuguese-speaking countries, Brazil leads the ranking, occupying position 89, in the range of countries with high development.

The Human Development Index is a summary measure to assess a country’s average performance in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life; access to knowledge; and a decent standard of living. The study was carried out under the motto “Breaking the Impasse: Reimagining cooperation in a polarized world”. (Letter)