Jamaica has been placed in the high human development category with a ranking of 96 out of 189 countries and territories in the United Nations 2019 Human Development Index (HDI) Report.
This is an improvement over the country’s ranking of 97 in 2018.
Published annually by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the HDI report is the globally accepted standard for measuring and assessing development progress and is a valued tool for national planning.
It presents the HDI ranking for 189 countries according to life expectancy, mean years of and expected years of schooling, and standard of living as measured by gross national income (GNI) per capita.
The 2019 report, unveiled globally on Monday, December 9, was shared locally during a ceremony at the UNDP Jamaica’s country office in Kingston.
Highlighting key findings as it relates to Jamaica, UNDP Programmes Specialist, Richard Kelly, said the report shows that “the country is registering progress” in human development trends.
Of note, it reveals that between 1990 and 2018, Jamaica’s HDI value increased by 13.2 per cent, moving from 0.641 in 1990 to 0.726 in 2018.
“Between 1990 and 2018, Jamaica’s life expectancy at birth increased by 1.2 years; mean years of schooling increased by 3.9 years; and expected years of schooling increased by 1.9 years,” he said.
