India climbed three spots in the Human Development Index (HDI) to 130, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said on Tuesday. It also stated that India is in a unique position globally as a rising artificial intelligence powerhouse, with the highest self-reported AI skills penetration.

The index is part of the Human Development Report (HDR) which ranks 193 countries. Ireland tops the list, followed by Norway, Switzerland, Denmark and Germany. India is ranked at par with Bangladesh, while its neighbours Sri Lanka, Nepal and Pakistan are at 89th, 145th and 168th, respectively.

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“With an HDI value increasing from 0.676 in 2022 to 0.685 in 2023, India remains in the medium human development category, moving closer to the threshold for high human development (HDI more than or equal to 0.700),” the report said.

This marks a three-place rise from its 2022 rank of 133. India also demonstrated notable improvement in reducing gender inequality, climbing from 108 (out of 166 countries) in 2022 to 102 out of 193 countries in 2023 on the Gender Inequality Index (GII). The theme of the Human Development Report “A matter of choice: People and possibilities in the age of AI”.

Despite this progress, India scored 0.874 on the Gender Development Index (GDI), placing it among Group 5 countries which are considered to have low success in closing the gender gap. On the HDI front, with a value of 0.685, India remains in the medium human development category, but is inching closer to the threshold of high human development, set at 0.700.

Among BRICS nations, India trails Brazil (89th), Russia (59th), China (75th), and South Africa (110th). Regionally, Sri Lanka leads, while Nepal and Bhutan lag. India’s GNI per capita rank is seven positions below its HDI rank, indicating income remains a relative weakness compared to health and education.

Global HDI progress has slowed to its weakest pace since 1990, excluding the pandemic years, as per the report. The gap between Very High and Low HDI countries has widened for four consecutive years, reversing decades of narrowing disparities. All regions face stalled HDI growth projections for 2024.

India’s HDI value has increased by over 53% since 1990, outpacing global and South Asian averages. The improvement is attributed to economic growth and targeted social protection and welfare programs.

India’s life expectancy at birth rose from 71.7 years in 2022 to 72 years in 2023, the highest since the index’s inception. In 1990, it stood at 58.6 years, signaling a robust recovery from the pandemic. Key national health schemes like the National Rural Health Mission, Ayushman Bharat, Janani Suraksha Yojana, and Poshan Abhiyaan have played crucial roles in improving health outcomes.