MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines moved up one rank in the United Nation’s (UN) Human Development Index (HDI) 2014 report but still remains among the countries with “medium human development” which include strife-torn Syria and Iraq in the Middle East.
The Philippines is ranked 117th in the report with an HDI of 0.66 (0.900 is considered high while 0.300 is considered low), up one spot from 118 in the 2013 report.
The UN Development Program (UNDP) describes the HDI as “a composite index measuring average achievement in three basic dimensions of human development—a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living.”
Norway remains in the number one spot with an HDI of 0.944 followed by Australia with 0.933, Switzerland with 0.917, the Netherlands with 0.915, and the United States with 0.914.
Among the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), only Singapore made it into the top 10 at number 9 with an HDI of 0.901.
Brunei, ranked 30th, is the second Asean country among those with “very high” HDI. Brunei has an HDI of 0.852.
Malaysia, ranked 62nd, and Thailand, ranked 89th, are said to have “high” HDI with 0.773 and 0.722, respectively.
Medium human development
Indonesia, having an HDI of 0.684, is ranked 108th overall and is grouped among the countries with “Medium human development.”
The Philippines, with an HDI of 0.66 at 117th, ranks just behind Egypt (110th with an HDI of 0.682) which is still reeling from the 2013 political unrest and coup d’etat against President Mohammed Morsi.
Syria (118th) and Iraq (120th) are countries presently struggling with violent internal conflict amid weak government control. They are just below the Philippines in rank with HDIs of 0.658 (Syria) and 0.642 (Iraq).
Below the Philippines’ rank are Vietnam at 121st with an HDI of 0.638, Cambodia at 136th with an HDI of 0.584, Laos at 139th with an HDI of 0.569, and Myanmar at 150th with an HDI of 0.524.
The average HDI of East Asia and the Pacific is 0.702 while in South Asia is 0.588. The global average HDI of all countries is 0.702.
The UNDP is set to release its full report on August 20, 2014.
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