Iran in high human development category: UNDP

TEHRAN,July 26(MNA) – The United Nations Development Program has placed Iran in the high human development category, ranking the country in 75th place among 187 countries in terms of the human development index, which assesses long-term progress in health, education, and income indicators. Countries fall into four broad human development categories, each of which, except for one, comprising 47 countries: Very High Human Development, High Human Development, Medium Human Development, and Low Human Development (46 countries in this category). The 2014 Human Development Report indicates that most people in most countries are doing better than ever before thanks to advances in education, technology, and incomes. But it notes a “widespread sense of precariousness in the world today in livelihoods, the environment, personal security, and politics.” Nearly half of all workers are in insecure or informal employment while some 842 million, or about 12 percent, of all people go hungry, it said. The report ranks Norway at the top of the Human Development Index, followed by Australia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United States. Among Asian countries, Singapore leads at No. 9, followed by Hong Kong and South Korea at 15. Despite its lead in longevity, Japan is ranked 17th due to its lower income and schooling measures. Improvements in life spans, education, and incomes are slowing due to natural disasters, misguided government policies, and worsening inequality in a world where the 85 richest people have as much wealth as the 3.5 billion poorest, according to the report.