Sultanate ranked 59th in Human Development Index

In Oman, life expectancy at birth is 73.9 years, expected years of schooling is 13 and mean years of schooling is 11.9

Oman is ranked 59th in the latest Human Development Index released last week by the United Nations Development Programme.

The Human Development Report 2023/24, titled Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining cooperation in a polarised world, shows the rebound in the global Human Development Index (HDI) – a summary measure reflecting a country’s Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, education and life expectancy – has been partial, incomplete and unequal.

The sultanate is classified with a group of countries with ‘Very high human development’. The value of Oman’s HDI is 0.819, while life expectancy at birth is 73.9 years, expected years of schooling is 13, mean years of schooling is 11.9 and GNI per capita is US$32,967 – the components that make HDI.

In the GCC, UAE is the top ranked country at 17th, followed by Bahrain at 34th, Saudi Arabia and Qatar at 40th, and Kuwait at 49th.

The top-ranked countries in the index are Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Hong Kong, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, Singapore, Australia and the Netherlands. The bottom five are Chad, Niger, Central African Republic, South Sudan and Somalia.

‘The HDI is projected to reach record highs in 2023 after steep declines during 2020 and 2021.

But this progress is deeply uneven. Rich countries are experiencing record-high levels of human development, while half of the world’s poorest countries remain below their pre-crisis level of progress,’ the report stated.

“The widening human development gap revealed by the report shows that the two-decade trend of steadily reducing inequalities between wealthy and poor nations is now in reverse. Despite our deeply interconnected global societies, we are falling short. We must leverage our interdependence as well as our capacities to address our shared and existential challenges and ensure people’s aspirations are met,” said Achim Steiner, head of UN Development Programme.

“This gridlock carries a significant human toll. The failure of collective action to advance action on climate change, digitalisation or poverty and inequality not only hinders human development but also worsens polarisation and further erodes trust in people and institutions worldwide.”