Brazil has the highest human development index in history, says UN
Brazil registered an increase in the IDHM (Municipal Human Development Index) and entered the group of countries with "very high human development". The country went from 0.744 in 2012 to 0.805 in 2024.
The index represents the highest level in the historical series analyzed. The consolidated advance indicates the country's recovery after the consecutive falls recorded in 2020 and 2021, caused by the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on social indicators.
According to the document, the 'Education' dimension was the one that evolved the most in the period and acted as the main driver of the index's growth, presenting an average annual growth rate of 1.35%.
The data comes from a survey released by the PNDU (United Nations Development Program), the UN (United Nations), in partnership with the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) and the FJP (Fundação João Pinheiro).
Inequalities impact the real index
Despite the record overall result, the UNDP report highlights that racial, gender and regional disparities remain significant. When the national indicator is calculated with adjustment for inequality, the Brazilian value drops from 0.805 to 0.641.
IDHM Income by race/color and by sex, for Brazil - PNDU (United Nations Development Program)
This loss of 20.4% repositions the Brazilian average in the "medium human development" range, statistically showing that a relevant part of the population lives a reality lower than that indicated by the country's average.
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The exclusive HDIM of the white population reached the mark of 0.851 (classified as very high), while that of the black population was fixed in the lower range, with 0.774 (classified as high).
However, the database shows a reduction in the gap over the last decade: the relative difference between the development of whites and blacks decreased from 14% in 2012 to 9% in 2024.
In the gender analysis, the survey shows that the main disparity is linked to the dimension of income from work, where the adjusted index for men (0.802) remains higher than that measured for women (0.798).
IDHMAD and IDHMAD Longevity, Education and Income, for Brazil - PNDU (United Nations Development Program)
Scenario in the states
The survey also mapped the evolution of the 27 Federation Units. Currently, all states and the Federal District are classified, at least, at the level of "high human development", having overcome the drops in rates caused by the pandemic period.
The Federal District leads the national ranking with an IDHM of 0.866, followed by the state of São Paulo, with 0.838. At the opposite end of the national table, the states of Maranhão (0.745) and Alagoas (0.746) record the lowest numbers in the country.
IDHM of the Federative Units, by human development range - PNDU (United Nations Development Program)
For the head of the PNUD in Brazil, Claudio Providas, achieving the 0.805 mark "represents decades of public investment, of policies that prolonged lives, opened the doors of schools and put income in people's hands."
The coordinator of the UNDP Human Development Unit in Brazil, Betina Barbosa, declared that the country's next stage requires addressing imbalances in income, gender and race.
According to the economist, the nation's continued evolution depends directly on inclusion policies that bring the black population and women to the center of public programs.
Source: CNN