Previous Year Question
Which of the following indicators is NOT used to calculate Human Development Index (HDI)?
Life Expectancy
Education
Per Capita Income
Social Inequality
Correct Answer: D
Detailed Solution
The Human Development Index (HDI) measures average achievement in three basic dimensions of human development—
health, education, and standard of living.
The health dimension is measured by Life Expectancy at Birth.
The education dimension includes Mean Years of Schooling and Expected Years of Schooling.
The standard-of-living or income dimension is measured by Gross National Income (GNI) per capita.
However, Social Inequality is not a direct component used in calculating the basic HDI. The HDI is obtained by taking the geometric mean of the normalized indices of its three dimensions.
To account for inequality, a separate Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) is used. The IHDI adjusts HDI achievements in health, education and income according to inequality in their distribution.
Therefore, Life Expectancy, Education and Per Capita Income are associated with the HDI, whereas Social Inequality is not included as a separate indicator in the basic HDI calculation.