Which of the following indicators is NOT used to calculate Human Development Index (HDI) ?
- (a)Life Expectancy
- (b)Education
- (c)Per Capita Income
- (d)Social Inequality
Correct — D, Social Inequality. The UNDP's HDI is a composite of three dimensions only: a long and healthy life (life expectancy at birth), knowledge (education — mean and expected years of schooling) and a decent standard of living (GNI per capita, PPP). Inequality is deliberately NOT part of the plain HDI; it is captured by a separate index, the Inequality-adjusted HDI (IHDI). Hence 'Social Inequality' is the indicator not used.
- (a)Life Expectancy — Life expectancy at birth is the HDI's health/longevity dimension — it IS used.
- (b)Education — Education (mean years + expected years of schooling) is the HDI's knowledge dimension — it IS used.
- (c)Per Capita Income — The standard-of-living dimension is measured by per-capita income (GNI per capita at PPP; GDP per capita in the pre-2010 formula) — it IS used.
The HDI (introduced in the 1990 Human Development Report by Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen) is a simple composite of three equally weighted dimensions — health, education and income. It intentionally excludes distributional/inequality measures; when inequality is factored in, the UNDP reports it separately as the Inequality-adjusted HDI (IHDI), which 'discounts' each dimension by its inequality.
The odd one out is the one that measures distribution rather than an average level. Life expectancy (health), education (knowledge) and per-capita income (living standard) are the three HDI pillars; 'Social Inequality' belongs to the IHDI, not the HDI.
- HDI = health (life expectancy) + education (schooling years) + income (GNI per capita, PPP)
- Three dimensions, equally weighted (geometric mean)
- Inequality is handled by a separate index, the IHDI — not the HDI
- Published annually by UNDP in the Human Development Report
Answer (d): inequality is measured by the Inequality-adjusted HDI, not the plain HDI.
- Assuming inequality is part of HDI (it is only in the IHDI)
- Confusing per-capita income (used) with total GDP (not the HDI variable)
As 'which is / is NOT an HDI component' or by naming the odd-one-out index (IHDI/GII/MPI vs HDI), in both UPSC and UPPSC.
Human Development Index comprises literacy rates, life expectancy at birth and
- (a) Gross Domestic Product per head in US dollars
- (b) Gross Domestic Product per head at real purchasing power
- (c) Gross National Product in US dollars
- (d) National Income per head in US dollars
Answer(b) Gross Domestic Product per head at real purchasing power
Same concept — the components of the HDI; UPSC's answer confirms the third dimension is per-capita income at PPP (the pre-2010 GDP-per-capita form), reinforcing that inequality is not an HDI input.
With reference to the Human Development Report, 2021-22, which of the following statement is/are correct? (1) India's rank on the Human Development Index has upgraded from 130 in 2020 to 132 in 2022. (2) India's rank on the Human Development Index has stipped from 130 in 2020 to 132 in 2022. Select the correct answer using the code given below -
- (a) Only 1
- (b) Both 1 and 2
- (c) Only 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer(c) Only 2
Same index (HDI) tested from a different angle — this 2020 question asks what HDI measures, while UPPSC 2023 tests India's HDI rank movement in the Human Development Report.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The 'standard of living' dimension of the Human Development Index is currently measured by:
- (a)GDP per capita in US dollars
- (b)GNI per capita at purchasing-power parity
- (c)total Gross National Product
- (d)average household savings
Answer(b) GNI per capita at PPP (post-2010 methodology).
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which index adjusts the Human Development Index for inequality across its dimensions?
- (a)Gender Inequality Index
- (b)Multidimensional Poverty Index
- (c)Inequality-adjusted HDI
- (d)Gini coefficient
Answer(c) Inequality-adjusted HDI (IHDI).