Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh has advanced one position to rank 130th out of 193 countries in the 2023 Human Development Index (HDI), according to the latest Human Development Report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Tuesday, 6 May. The improvement comes amid a broader global slowdown in development progress.
Despite the marginal gain, Bangladesh remains in the “Medium Human Development” category, where it has been positioned since 2009.
The 2025 edition of the Human Development Report, titled “A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI”, attributes Bangladesh’s improved HDI score-from 0.680 in 2022 to 0.685 in 2023-to progress in health and living standards. However, no advancement was recorded in the education dimension.
The HDI is a composite measure that reflects average achievements in three fundamental dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living. It is assessed using life expectancy at birth, years of schooling (both actual and expected), and gross national income (GNI) per capita.
According to the report, Bangladesh’s life expectancy at birth increased by 0.4 years to reach 74.67 in 2023. Its GNI per capita, measured in 2021 purchasing power parity, rose to USD 8,498-up from USD 8,114 in 2022. In contrast, the education indicators remained static: the mean years of schooling stood at 6.79, and expected years of schooling remained at 12.31.
India, which had trailed Bangladesh in the HDI rankings since 2019, has now drawn level, rising three places to also rank 130th. Its progress was attributed to improvements across all three HDI dimensions-health, education, and standard of living.
In South Asia, Sri Lanka retains the highest position, ranking 89th with a score of 0.776, followed by the Maldives at 93rd. These are the only two countries in the region classified under the “High Human Development” category. Bhutan stands at 126th, followed by Bangladesh and India (joint 130th), with Nepal at 150th-all within the “Medium Human Development” band. Pakistan (168th) and Afghanistan (181st) remain in the “Low Human Development” group.
