SDG focus and human development challenges in India

India’s Progress in Human Development and the UN Agenda 2030

G-20 Summit and SDG Summits
• The G-20 Summit in New Delhi aimed to accelerate the implementation of the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.
• An “SDG Summit” was held on September 18-19, 2023, to review the implementation of the Agenda and the progress of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• A “Summit of the Future” took place on September 22-23, 2024, to build on the SDG Summit 2023 and its commitments by member nations.

India’s Human Development Progress
• The Human Development Index (HDI) developed by the UNDP measures three dimensions: long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living.
• India ranks 134 out of 193 countries in the’medium human development category’ with a HDI value of 0.644.
• The HDI value increased by 48.4% from 1990 to 0.644 in 2022.
• India’s human development initiatives lagged behind during 2015-22 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education and income.

Gender Gaps and Income Inequality
• India has one of the largest gender gaps in the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), with a 47.8% points difference between women (28.3%) and men (76.1%).
• The female labor force participation rate in India is very low compared to many countries, especially in comparison to India’s neighbouring countries.

Income Inequality
• India’s income inequality is high, with the richest 1% holding a very high share.
• India’s income inequality is higher than the world average of 17.5% and the South Asia average of 19.6%.