Gulf retains human development edge
Much to their credit, all Gulf countries do well in the area of human development, as demonstrated in the recently-released human development index by the United Nations Development Programme. The results place five of the Gulf states — Oman being the exception — in the very high human development category, the best possible.
Oman is placed in the high human development category, a notch behind Kuwait. The 2016 report provides rankings for 188 nations, unchanged from the 2015 version. This suggests that almost all countries are covered.
The HDI has three variables, namely life expectancy at birth, education and income. The HDI stands out among other rankings by embracing socioeconomic factors and not solely income.
Reviewed countries are assigned values up to a maximum 1.0 point. Norway led the world on HDI by collecting 0.949 points on the scale. The index extends mixed rankings for GCC states. Qatar leads the entire Arab world by clinching the 33rd ranking, down by one from 2015. But Qatar collected slightly more points on the index, 0.856 out of 1.0. It underscores the rivalry among nations to advance the cause of human development.
Not surprisingly, income works in Qatar’s favour thanks to wealth generated from oil, gas and other investments, and broad economic activities. The per capita income, judged on the purchasing power parity basis or PPP, stands at $129,916, second to none.
Saudi Arabia ranks 38th in the 2016 report, showing enhancement by one position. In reality, four GCC states experienced a fall in their rankings with Oman maintaining its status.
The progress in Saudi Arabia reflects the steady proliferation of health care services. Its Vision 2030 places emphasis on human development.
UAE’s rank
The UAE is ranked 42nd behind Portugal but ahead of Hungary. Undeniably, the UAE stands out for being an exceptionally open place for doing business and for workers from all over. Yet, some of the migrant workers do not excel in HDI’s variables.
Bahrain saw its ranking slide by two notches to 47th, and the blame largely relates to falling levels of per capita income. The plunge in oil prices since mid-2014 has left its mark on Bahrain’s economy notwithstanding steady efforts by the authorities to maintain spending and overall economic activity Kuwait suffered the biggest setback, dropping three notches to 51st. The unwelcome occurrence reflects disturbing trends on two variables, the average age and income. Kuwait is ranked as the last country in the very high human development class. Oman kept its ranking at 52. It is possible that the sultanate would move to the best category in the years to come via economic developments. The economy is undergoing progress on different fronts, including tourism and industrial undertakings.
GCC states, or at least some, stand the chance of improving their global positions in HDI on the back of sustained investments on education and health services.
Undoubtedly, human development should be the ultimate objective of any nation.