Kazakhstan moves up one position in 2011 UNDP Human Development report

TANA. November 17. KAZINFORM In the annual, 21st issue of Human Development report of the United Nations Development Programme Kazakhstan has gone up for one position in comparison with the previous year and now is on 68th place among 187 countries. The country is also included into the list of countries with high human development index.

In the course of the press conference Stephen Tull, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP in Kazakhstan Resident Representative, reflected on the global development progress: "Sustainable, equitable development is the great development challenge of the 21st century. The 2011 Human Development Report offers important new contributions to the global dialogue on this challenge. It is a comparative study showing how sustainability is inextricably linked to basic questions of equity- That is, of fairness and social justice and of greater access to a better quality of life", the press release of the UNDP Kazakhstan reports.

Yuryi Shokomanov, Head of the Department of national accounts reported: "Kazakhstan's HDI value for 2011 is 0.745-in the high human development category-positioning the country at 68 out of 187 countries and territories. Between 1995 and 2011, Kazakhstan's HDI value increased from 0.636 to 0.745, an increase of 17.0 per cent or average annual increase of about 1.0 per cent".

Table A reviews Kazakhstan's progress in each of the HDI indicators. Between 1980 and 2011, Kazakhstan's life expectancy at birth increased by 2.1 years, mean years of schooling increased by 4.3 years and expected years of schooling increased by 3.5 years. Kazakhstan's GNI per capita increased by about 137.0 per cent between 1995 and 2011.

Table A: Kazakhstan's HDI trends based on consistent time series data, new component indicators and new methodology

	Life expectancy at birth	Expected years of schooling	Means years of schooling	GNI per capita (2005 PPP$)	HDI value
1980	65.0	11.6	6.1	..	..
1985	66.9	12.3	7.0	..	..
1990	66.7	12.4	7.7	..	..
1995	63.9	11.9	8.8	4,464	0.636
2000	63.5	12.3	9.9	5,030	0.657
2005	65.2	14.9	10.2	7,830	0.714
2010	66.7	15.1	10.4	10,001	0.740
2011	67.0	15.1	10.4	10,585	0.745

Income growth has been associated with deterioration in such key environmental indicators as carbon dioxide emissions, soil and water quality. Despite improvements of the Central Asian region in recent decades, many countries remain highly dependent on fossil fuels, with high levels of energy inefficiency and acute air pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Report. These conditions intensify inequality, depriving vulnerable people, while inequality in human development intensifies environmental degradation.

Human Development Report 2011 "Sustainability and equity: A better future for all" explores the integral links between environmental sustainability and equity and shows that these are critical to expanding human progress.

According to the HDR the status of Kazakhstan's during the last 5 years is stable. Between 1980 and 2011 the life expectancy at birth has increased by 2.1 years, mean years of schooling increased by 4.3 years and country's GNI per capita increased by about 137% between 1995 and 2011.
Report can be downloaded here.

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