Reference:

• The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released the Human Development Report 2025 on 6th May 2025, titled:

           "A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI"

Key Highlights:

• The report analyzes the potential impacts of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on human development.
• Objective: Not to predict the future, but to shape it—so that AI can empower human development.

Global Human Development Status:

• Slowest progress in 35 years: The report notes that global human development progress has been the slowest in the past 35 years.
• Despite the extraordinary crises of 2020–2021, there was no significant recovery in HDI in 2024.
• Increase in inequality: The report mentions widening disparities between rich and poor countries. Traditional development pathways are shrinking due to global pressures.

HDI Ranking and Values (2023):

Rank               Country                                HDI Value

1                      Iceland                                    0.972

2                      Norway                                   0.970

2                      Switzerland                            0.970

4                      Denmark                                0.962

5                      Germany                                0.959

5                      Sweden                                  0.959

7                      Australia                                 0.958

8                      Hong Kong (China SAR)        0.955

8                      Netherlands                            0.955

17                    United States                          0.938

130                  India                                       0.685

India's Position:

• Ranked 130 out of 193 countries, improving from 133rd in the previous year.
• India remains in the "medium human development" category and is approaching the threshold of "high human development" (HDI ≥ 0.700).
• Since 1990, India’s HDI value has increased by 53%, faster than the global and South Asian averages.

Role of AI:

• The 2025 report recognizes India as an emerging AI power.
• India is the only lower-middle-income country ranked in the top 10 of the global AI index.
• In 2019, India had a negligible number of AI researchers; now, 20% of Indian AI researchers are working within the country.
• Use of AI in India includes:

• • Providing insurance and credit-related advice to farmers in regional languages.
  • Plans to establish a National AI Facility for researchers, startups, and industries.
  • AI-based inclusive skill development programs supported by UNDP are being run in Tamil Nadu and Telangana.

Continuous Improvement in Health, Education, and Income:

• Life expectancy in India has risen from 58.6 years in 1990 to 72 years in 2023—the highest since the inception of the HDI index.
• Average years of schooling have increased to 13 years from 8.2 years in 1990.
• This has been made possible due to initiatives like the Right to Education Act, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, and the National Education Policy 2020.
• On the economic front, Gross National Income per capita increased from $2,167.22 (1990) to $9,046.76 (2023)—more than a fourfold rise.
• Notably, 135 million people moved out of multidimensional poverty between 2015–16 and 2019–21.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP):

• A UN agency that helps developing countries reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development.
• Emphasizes capacity-building and promoting self-reliance.
• Founded: 22 November 1965 (by UN General Assembly)
• Headquarters: New York, United States
• President: Muhammad Abdul Muhith
• Key Focus Areas:

• • Human development
  • Sustainable development
  • Poverty eradication
  • Democratic governance
  • Climate action