It is ranked 26th in the UN index out of 187 countries for the progress it has made
Chuang Peck Ming Business Times 3 Nov 11;
(SINGAPORE) The Republic has come up 'very high' on the United Nations' 2011 Human Development Index, a measure of the progress a country has made in building its people's potential and giving them the good life.
Going by how long they live, schooling years and income, Singaporeans are ranked 26th in the index which was released yesterday, putting Singapore among the top 47 countries that have gone furthest on the development path.
And the progress and gains made in Singapore have been quite fairly spread - unlike in many countries, including wealthy ones like the United States, South Korea and Israel.
Singapore, along with European countries like Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland, was singled out especially for the high standings of its women, who are in the pink of reproductive health and have made their presence felt in government and corporate boardrooms.
And where does Bhutan - often mentioned recently in parliamentary debates on the happiness levels here - stand in the UN's 2011 Human Development Index, which covers a total 187 countries?
At No 141. This does not even qualify it to be in the 'high' Human Development grouping. In fact, Bhutan barely made it to the 'medium' category, being just one position away from the 'low' index.
Indeed, Bhutan, together with Timor-Leste, Pakistan and Nepal, is highlighted by the UN to be 'among the 20 most unequal nations in educational attainment'.
Norway, Australia and the Netherlands lead in the overall annual rankings, while the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger and Barundi are at the bottom of the heap.
Apart from Singapore, Japan (12th), Hong Kong (13th), South Korea (15th) and Brunei (33rd) were the only Asian nations in the 'very high' rankings.
When adjusted for internal inequalities in health, education and income, South Korea drops to 32nd in the rankings, below Singapore.
The US slips from No 4 to No 23 and Israel falls from No 17 to No 25.
'The inequality-adjusted Human Development Index helps us assess the levels of development for all segments of society, rather than for just the mythical 'average person',' says Milorad Kovacevic, chief statistician for the 2011 Human Development Report. 'We consider health and education distribution to be just as important in this equation as income, and the data show inequities in many countries.'
The report says that while countries have made a big leap in development, they have over-stretched and over-heated the environment - and made the world more unequal.
'A joint lens shows how environmental degradation intensifies inequality through adverse impacts on already disadvantaged people and how inequalities in human development amplify environmental degradation,' it says.
The challenge going forward is to push for 'sustainable and equitable progress'.
