Human

Development
Index
and its Expression in the World
The Human Development Index (HDI) was created with the purpose of
classifying the countries with different variables to the ones traditionally
used in economy.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been

proposing and calculating these variables since 1990.

Intellectuals at the UN consider

that the development of a
country cannot be solely
understood by means of
economic growth since human
development is linked to the
freedom to choose several
options and ways of life.
What does the HDI evaluate?

03
01
The average personal Life expectancy
income.

02 04
Health indicators Education
 The UNDP report of 2010, calculated the HDI for 139 countries. is
report classified the countries as very high, high, medium and low
human development.
The main objective of the HDI is
to guide the government’s,
international institutions’ and
non-government organizations’
attention towards a
development of human beings
and find solutions on how to
improve the progress of
societies.
Categorization of the Central and
Peripheral Countries According to their
Economic Activity
In accordance with the distribution of
economic activities, the world is divided now
into central and peripheral countries.

Central: Countries that have given rise to

stronger economies with notable
technological and organizational progress
are the central countries.

They also dominate the exploitation of

natural resources and get to intervene
in the exploitation of less developed
countries.
Peripheral: Gravitate around central
countries; all of these territories were
once colonies of exploitation belonging to
the central countries.

In some peripheral countries,

industrialization is minimal or
non-existent. This turns peripheral
countries into exporters of raw
materials and central countries into
controllers of the production.
Differences between the Human
Development Index Map and the
Central and Peripheral Countries

The countries with the highest Human

Development Index are the central
countries.

The population in these countries

has a higher life expectancy, longer
years in education and a high per
capita income; all of this translates
into the fact that the inhabitants
have the possibilities and freedom of
accessing a fuller and dignifying life.
Differences between the Human
Development Index Map and the
Central and Peripheral Countries

Peripheral countries coincide with the

medium and low levels of the HDI.

Latin America, Africa and a large part

of Asia is considered in these levels.
Africa is where the levels of education,
health and income are the lowest.

Some countries like Mexico, Argentina

and Chile, reached high levels in the
HDI in 2010, which is why they are
called semi-peripheral countries.