Oman fifth among Arab nations in Human Development Index

Muscat: Oman stands fifth among the Arab World and 47th globally in the United Nation's Human Development Index (HDI) and tops the list of GCC countries for a number of study years, said the Director General of Social Sector, SCP Secretariat General, Saeed Al Qatbi.

"The Sultanate of Oman has once again been ranked among top nations in United Nation's Human Development Index (HDI) report for 2019. In the ranking released by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in December last year, Oman climbed one spot to be positioned 47th globally out of 189 countries. It ranked fifth among Arab and Gulf countries, maintaining its global classification as one of the countries with high human development," he said.

Oman scored 0.834 in the HDI, valued between '0 and 1', with an improvement in all the main parameters, according to the report published under the title, ‘Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today: Inequalities in human development in the 21st century'. In 2010, this score was 0.793 and has continued to rise since.

With regard to availability of resources necessary to achieve an adequate standard of living, the average gross national income per capita in Oman reached US$ 37,039 compared to US$ 36,290 in 2018, while the life expectancy at birth also showed an increase (77.6).

“The HDI is considered as a brief measurement of the average human development achieved in a particular country. The measurement process is based on three indicators of human development, which are long and healthy life, education and standard of living,” Al Qatbi said.

Al Qatbi pointed out that the report focuses on the issue of inequality in human development and added that it also analyses the inequality in three areas - beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today. The report recommends developments policies that take into consideration investment in early childhood, throughout the life cycle, productivity, public expenditure and fair taxes.

“I hope that the Sultanate reaches more advanced positions in the coming years, reflecting the great efforts made by the government in the fields of education, health and development,” he concluded.