Latin American countries with less human development

Statistics

First, the level of human development in Latin America seems to be increasing: the region only lags behind Europe and Asia in the latest report of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which assessed welfare in 188 countries during 2016. In addition, most nations in the region registered a high and medium Human Development Index, with only one country in the low category, Haiti.

However, putting the magnifying glass on the figures reveals two facts: there is no Latin American nation among the top 10 (not even in the top 20 or 30) and inequality continues to jeopardize the progress of the region.

Each year, the Human Development Index measures three dimensions, on which it draws an average of 0 to 1:

1- Life expectancy at birth, focused on the ability to lead a long and healthy life

2- The average years of schooling, which reflect the possibility of acquiring knowledge

3- The gross domestic product per capita, as an indicator of being able to have a "decent" standard of living.

The first country in Latin America is Chile, which is ranked 38th in the world ranking, with a score of 0.84. Together with Argentina, in position 45 and a score of 0.827, they are the only ones in the region that achieved a very high Human Development Index. They are followed by Uruguay (54th place), Panama (60th), Trinidad and Tobago (65th), Costa Rica (66th), Cuba (68th) and Venezuela (71th), in the high category. The countries with the lowest rates in the region are, in addition to Haiti in 163, Honduras (130), Guyana (127), Guatemala (125) and Nicaragua (124).

Worldwide, the first place went to Norway with a score of 0.94. They are followed by Australia (0.93), Switzerland (0.93), Germany (0.92), Denmark (0.92) and Singapore (0.92), respectively.

Source: CNN