RI's Human Development Index down<\/p>\n
Evelyn Leopold, Reuters\/United Nations<\/p>\n
Norway, Sweden, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands ranked as
\nthe best five countries to live in but Africa's quality of life
\nplummeted because of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS),
\nsaid a United Nations report released on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Indonesia ranked 111th out of 177 countries surveyed, below
\nThailand, the Philippines and three other Southeast Asian
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Last year, it ranked in 112th place from a list of 175
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
In Asia, Hong Kong was in 23rd place and Singapore in 25th,
\nSouth Korea in 28th, Thailand, 76; the Philippines, 83; China,
\n94; India 127; Bangladesh 138 and Pakistan 142.<\/p>\n
The United States was ranked in eighth place, a drop of one
\nposition from 2003 in the report that rates not only per-capita
\nincome but also educational levels, health care and life
\nexpectancy in measuring a nation's well-being.<\/p>\n
The Human Development Index, prepared by the UN Development
\nProgram, is issued annually and includes every country for which
\nstatistics are available.<\/p>\n
Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea and Liberia were among nations
\nnot included because of lack of data.<\/p>\n
Norway has led the list for the past four years.<\/p>\n
Aside from the overall index, the report produces indicators
\non women's equality, income inequality and consumption, poverty
\nand other categories that countries use to measure development.<\/p>\n
In Canada, for example, the index has been used in
\nadvertisements to attract business.<\/p>\n
The industrialized nations as usual were in the top 20, their
\nratings close to one another. Belgium was in sixth place,
\nfollowed by Iceland, the United States, Japan, Ireland,
\nSwitzerland, Britain, Finland, Austria, Luxembourg, France,
\nDenmark, New Zealand, Germany and Spain.<\/p>\n
At the bottom of the list for the seventh year was Sierra
\nLeone, emerging from a decade of civil war. Right above it were
\nNiger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Burundi.<\/p>\n
The world's newest nation, East Timor, was included for the
\nfirst time and ranked 158th out of 177 countries.<\/p>\n
In Africa, the AIDS crisis reduced the average life expectancy
\nin many countries to 40 years or less, making it the biggest
\nfactor in the decline of overall human development indicators,
\nthe report said. In comparison, the average life expectancy in
\nNorway was 79 years.<\/p>\n
At least 20 nations suffered development reversals since 1990,
\n13 of them in Africa, such as Angola, Central African Republic,
\nLesotho, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Zambia and
\nZimbabwe, the report said.<\/p>\n
\"The AIDS crisis cripples states at all levels because the
\ndisease attacks people in their most productive years,\" said Mark
\nMalloch Brown, head of UN Development Program.<\/p>\n
In Latin American and Caribbean nations, Barbados again headed
\nthe list, in 29th place. Argentina ranked 34th, Chile, 43; Costa
\nRica, 45; Uruguay, 46; Bahamas, 51; Cuba, 52; Mexico, 53;
\nVenezuela, 68. Surprisingly, Brazil dropped to 72nd place, one
\nabove Colombia, compared to last year when it ranked 65th.<\/p>\n
In the Middle East, Israel led the list in 22nd place,
\nfollowed by Cyprus in 30th place, Bahrain, 40; Kuwait, 44; Qatar,
\n47; United Arab Emirates, 49; Libya, 58; Oman 74; Saudi Arabia,
\n77; Lebanon, 80; Jordan, 90; Tunisia, 92; Palestinian territories
\n102; Syria, 106; Algeria, 108; Egypt, 120; Morocco, 125 and
\nYemen, 149.<\/p>\n
The 285-page report can be found on the Web at
\nhttp:\/\/hdr.undp.org.<\/p>\n
Culture -- Page 12<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ris-human-development-index-down-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }