South Africa ranks poorly for human development
A new index from the United Nations focusing on human development places South Africa in the lower half of the rankings.
South Africa ranked 116th out of 188 countries assessed by the UN, placing it in the “medium human development” grouping.
This is the same level as Botswana (106th) and Cambodia (143rd).
The Human Development Index is an annual report by the UN which ranks countries according to their living standards across three indicators: gross income per capita, life expectancy and education.
The top five countries out of 188 were unchanged from last year’s rankings, with Norway in the top spot, followed by Australia, Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands.
The bottom five countries were African nations: Niger (188th), Central African Republic, Eritrea, Chad and Burundi.
South Africa’s position of 116th is one place up from the previous year’s report, where SA was ranked 117th.
Since 2009, however, South Africa has climbed four spots on the index.
According to the index, South Africa’s life expectancy at birth is 57.4 years, with aveage expected schooling at 13.6 years.
Gross income per capita in the country sits at $12,122 – however, the report highlights high levels of inequality in education, income, life expectancy and across gender, which keeps the country back.
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