Pakistan down on Human Development Index by seven places; ranks 161 out of 192 nations

Pakistan plummeted to 161 out of 192 nations i.e. seven spots in the most recent human development rankings released by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on Thursday. 

According to the UNDP report, Pakistan in 2021 stood at 154 out of 189 countries. As reported in The News International, Pakistan’s life expectancy at birth is 66.1 years and the expected years of schooling are eight. 

According to the study "Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World," the nation's gross per capita product income of the country is USD 4,624. According to the research, many climate shocks are creating an influence on the world order and halting the growth that has been made in the past recent years. The floods in Pakistan were then categorised as "evidence of the climate shocks witnessed throughout the world."

Only Pakistan and Afghanistan rank low human development category

Only Pakistan and Afghanistan (180th place) rank low in the human development category among the nine South Asian nations that include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. 

On the latest Human Development Index, Switzerland took the top spot, followed by Norway and Iceland in that order.

According to the report, Bhutan is placed in 127th position, Bangladesh in 129th, and India in 132nd. Nepal secured the 143rd position. The four nations of South Asia fall under the category of medium human development. While crisis-hit Sri Lanka was able to move up the index by 9 points, landing in the 73rd spot, according to The News International.

The study has shown that nearly 90 percent of countries have suffered “reversals in human development” in the year of the survey, pointing to a world trapped in a never-ending cycle of crisis after crisis, triggering worldwide disruptions.

The report further stated that the two major factors responsible for these disruptions were the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. 

EIU places Karachi as one of the worst to live in the world in 2022

Notably, the HDI is an assessment of a nation’s health, education and standards of living. In a previous report, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranked Karachi as one of the least humane cities in the world for 2022.

According to News International, the survey evaluated and ranked 172 cities based on five criteria: infrastructure, health care, education, culture, and entertainment.

Pakistan on the brink of economic collapse?

With its shrinking foreign exchange reserves and soaring inflation, Pakistan's economy is on the verge of collapse and is moving in the same direction as Sri Lanka's economic downfall.

The economic indicators for Pakistan currently are quite poor. According to the UNDP, Pakistan has debts totalling more than USD 250 billion, and Karachi, the city's economic hub, has also been experiencing extreme instability. At an astonishing rate, the cost of living crisis is pushing millions of people into poverty and even hunger, raising the possibility of further civil unrest.

Inflation in Pakistan dramatically entered the double-digit mark in July, the greatest rise in nearly six years. Moreover, stealing, smuggling, drug dealing, and violence have worsened social and economic conditions in addition to poor living conditions.