Pakistan slips down two points in HDI: UN report launched
ISLAMABAD, Nov 28: Pakistan has slipped down two slots to the 136th position on the Human Development Index (HDI), which was released by United Nations on Wednesday, despite modest improvement in its social indicators.
In the South Asian region, only Bangladesh and Nepal were behind Pakistan, ranked 134th last year. The mortality rate for those under five years of age declined by just one per 1,000 live births and population growth reduced by 0.1 per cent, while maternal mortality and the percentage of underweight children remained stagnant.
Life expectancy improved by about two years and the fertility rate went down by 0.3 per cent. Life expectancy at birth is 64.6 years, adult literacy rate is 49 per cent and the combined enrolment, in all three levels of education, is 40 per cent.
The under-five years mortality rate is 99 per 1,000 live births. Maternal mortality remained at 530 per 100,000 live births and percentage of underweight children stood at 38 per cent, with no change.
It seemed evident from the rate of the country’s slow-paced progress that it was falling behind the UN millennium development goals (MGD) targets.
This year’s Human Development Report titled, “Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world,” focuses on the impact of climate change on the world’s poor and vulnerable.
The report warned that accelerated glacial melting in the Himalayas, will compound the already severe ecological problems across northern China, India and Pakistan, initially increasing floods before reducing the flow of water to major river systems vital for irrigation.
Introduced in 1990, HDI assesses the state of human development through life-expectancy, adult literacy and school enrolment at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels, along with income, based on the most recent reliable data from UN partners and other official sources.
Source: Dawn
Date:11/29/2007
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