Vietnam Sees Human Development Gains
Vietnam has displayed great gains in human development, but not all is a bed of roses, according to a major United Nations (UN) report.
Vietnam has established a strong balance between its economic growth and human development, the 2005 UN Human Development Report says.
The country moved up four places to take the 108th position in the 177-nation ranking for the year 2003 of the Human Development Index (HDI) table, a list topped by Norway.
Vietnam is an example of a country that has converted high growth into rapid human development,” says the report.
Steady surges
The country scored an index value of 0.704, already meeting the government’s goal of 0.7-0.75 for the 2001-2010 period, and up continuously from 0.582 in 1985, 0.603 in 1990, 0.646 in 1995, 0.682 in 2000, 0.686 in 2001, and 0.691 in 2002.
Vietnam’s HDI ranking moved up one place to take the sixth position in Southeast Asia and climbed four to hit the 28th place in the whole of Asia.
The country’s HDI was higher than the average 0.684 point scored by developing countries in the world.
Its ranking in human development was also higher than that in per capital Gross Domestic Product, which was sixth to compare with seventh in Southeast Asia, 32nd to 36th in Asia, and 108th to 134th in the world.
Main drives
The UN Development Program (UNDP)’s analysis of key indicators such as life expectancy, education and per capital Gross Domestic Product (GDP), has found that the former two were the main driving force for increase in Vietnam’s HDI ranking.
The country’s life expectancy kept rising since 1995 to top 70.5 in 2003, helping it score a life expectancy index of 0.76, higher than that of many other developed countries and the world’s average.
The education index, which measures a country’s relative achievement in both adult literacy and combined primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrollment, hit 0.82, the highest in the country’s three indicators and higher than even the HDI itself.
But the per capital GDP index reached only 0.54 despite continued rises, much lower than the other two and the HDI.
Remaining problem
Despite the increase, Vietnam’s HDI ranking was still low, 108th among 177 nations. Its HDI was still lower than the world’s 0.741 and the Asian-Pacific’s 0.768, and the 0.716 point scored by countries having average human development.
It was mainly because the country’s GDP index, the most important element for healthcare and education, remains low; meaning the country still has to consolidate efforts to boost economic growth.
The country’s healthcare sector was still inadequate following a slowdown in the availability of sickbeds, medical facilities, medical workers; expensive drug prices; and poor management.
Meanwhile, the education index was high mainly because of the high literacy rate, while the quality of education from primary to university level remains poor.
Reported by Ngoc Minh – Translated by Hieu Trung.
Story from Thanh Nien News
Published: 19 September, 2005, 11:36:39 (GMT+7)
Copyright Thanh Nien News
