Guyana’s human development level up but still below average for region

Chisa Mikami, Resident Representative (ag), UNDP (right), officially handing over a copy of the UNDP’s Human Development 2014 Report to Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh last week. (GINA photo)

Guyana’s level of human development is below the average for countries in the Latin America and Caribbean region, according to the latest United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Index (HDI) released last week.

“Guyana’s 2013 HDI of 0.638 is above the average of 0.614 for countries in the medium human development group and below the average of 0.740 for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean,” the report says. Guyana’s HDI value of 0.638 places the country in the medium human development category— positioning the country at 121 out of 187 countries and territories.

This year, three countries in the region – Chile, Cuba and Argentina – feature in the very high human development group, with the majority of the region’s 33 countries grouped among those of high or medium human development. Only one, Haiti, remains in the low human development group.

The HDI is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge and a decent standard of living. Between 1980 and 2013, Guyana’s HDI value increased from 0.516 to 0.638, an increase of 23.6 percent or an average annual increase of about 0.65 percent,