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 slipped 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
Correct — C, Only 2. In the Human Development Report 2021-22 (released 8 September 2022), India ranked 132 out of 191 countries, slipping from 131 in the previous report — with HDI value falling to 0.633. Statement 2 correctly describes the direction as 'slipped'; Statement 1 calls the same move an 'upgrade', which is wrong because a LARGER rank number (132) means a LOWER position, not a better one. Hence only Statement 2 is correct.
- (a)Only 1 — Statement 1 says India 'upgraded' — but moving from a smaller rank number to a larger one (130/131 → 132) is a decline in standing, not an improvement. It reverses the actual direction.
- (b)Both 1 and 2 — Statements 1 and 2 contradict each other ('upgraded' vs 'slipped') — they cannot both be true. Only the 'slipped' statement matches reality.
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2 — Statement 2 IS correct: India genuinely slipped in HDI rank to 132/191 in HDR 2021-22. So 'neither' is false.
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite measure published by the UNDP in its annual Human Development Report, combining life expectancy at birth, years of schooling (education) and Gross National Income per capita (standard of living). A rank closer to 1 is better; a rising rank number means a country has fallen relative to others.
The trap is purely directional. Both statements quote the same numbers (130 → 132); they differ only in the word 'upgraded' vs 'slipped'. A student who knows that a higher HDI rank number = worse position will see that 'slipped' is the correct verb, so only Statement 2 holds. UPPSC also expects awareness that India's HDI ranking fell in HDR 2021-22.
- HDR 2021-22 ('Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives'), released 8 Sep 2022, ranked India 132 of 191 countries — down from 131.
- India's HDI value fell to 0.633 (from 0.645), keeping it in the 'medium human development' band.
- Global HDI declined for two consecutive years for the first time since the index began — a broad global reversal.
- HDI dimensions: life expectancy at birth, expected/mean years of schooling, and GNI per capita (PPP).
The two statements quote the same numbers and differ only in direction — only 'slipped' is correct, so the answer is 'Only 2'.
- Reading a rising rank number as an 'improvement' — it is the opposite
- Confusing HDI value (which can rise or fall) with HDI rank (relative to other countries)
UPPSC/UPSC test the latest HDR rank of India and, as here, whether the candidate reads the direction of a rank change correctly (up in number = down in standing).
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
Both test the composition of the same UNDP Human Development Index that ranks India in the HDR.
As per the Human Development Index given by UNDP, which one of the following sequences of South Asian countries is correct, in the order of higher to lower development?
- (a) India—Sri Lanka—Pakistan—Maldives
- (b) Maldives—Sri Lanka—India—Pakistan
- (c) Sri Lanka—Maldives—India—Pakistan
- (d) Maldives—India—Pakistan—Sri Lanka
Answer(b) Maldives—Sri Lanka—India—Pakistan
Both hinge on reading HDI rank order — the exact idea behind India's HDR ranking in this question.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Human Development Index (HDI) published by the UNDP is computed from which of the following dimensions?
- (a)Life expectancy, education and per-capita income
- (b)GDP growth, inflation and unemployment
- (c)Literacy, sex ratio and infant mortality only
- (d)Life expectancy, calorie intake and forest cover
Answer(a) Life expectancy at birth, education (schooling) and GNI per capita — the three HDI dimensions.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Human Development Report, in which the Human Development Index is published, is brought out annually by:
- (a)World Bank
- (b)United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- (c)International Monetary Fund
- (d)World Economic Forum
Answer(b) UNDP — it has published the Human Development Report since 1990.