PHL score improves on Social Progress Index
THE PHILIPPINES registered a slightly improved score in an index measuring social progress, with gains recorded across all indicators from the year-earlier period.
With 65.46 points, the Philippines placed 64th of 133 countries in the 2015 Social Progress Index (SPI) prepared by Washingtonbased group Social Progress Initiative. The outcome is an improvement over the restated 2014 index score of 65.12.
The think tank defines social progress as “the capacity of a society to meet the basic human needs of its citizens, establish the building blocks that allow citizens and com- munities to enhance and sustain the quality of their lives, and create the conditions for all individuals to reach their full potential.”
The index is intended to supplement traditional measures of national performance like gross domestic product, and also allows social progress comparisons among countries ranked in the same wealth class.
“Inclusive growth requires achieving both economic and social progress,” the 158-page SPI report for 2015 read.
“The Social Progress Index aims to meet this pressing need by creating a robust and holistic measurement framework for national social and environmental performance that can be used by leaders in government, business, and civil society to benchmark success and accelerate progress.”
The index measures a country’s social progress based on 12 indicators: nutrition and basic medical care, water and sanitation, shelter, personal safety, access to basic knowledge, access to information and communications, health and wellness, ecosystem sustainability, personal rights, personal freedom and choice, tolerance and inclusion, and access to advanced education.
This year, Norway ranked first with a score of 88.36, switching places with Sweden which logged 88.06. Both countries improved from last year’s 87.58 and 87.84 rating, respectively.