The 15 countries with the lowest human development index (HDI)

Human inequality on the planet is measurable, and unfortunately, the results are not encouraging. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that half of the world's population lacks essential health services, and that more than 820 million people suffer from hunger.

A useful parameter to evaluate the welfare state by country is the Human Development Index (HDI), an indicator created by the Program of the United Nations (UNDP) in order to measure the degree of development in the different countries based on certain pillars that we will see later.

To date, 62 countries are estimated to be in a very high human development category, but in the On the other side of the coin, 38 countries are so under-resourced that they cannot meet basic needs human. Today we show you the forgotten, the awkward part of the conversation in the West, a undeniable reality But not everyone wants to see: the 15 countries with the lowest HDI on the planet.

• We recommend you read: "History of human beings: 15 key dates"

About the HDI and its calculation

The HDI is built from three different dimensions: life expectancy, educational attainment and income. First, life expectancy at birth is calculated using a minimum value of 20 years and a maximum value of 85. The educational component is quantifiable through the years of education foreseen for infants of school age and for people over 25 years of age. Finally, the income component is calculated using the Gross National Income (GNI) per individual measured according to purchasing power parity. In general, each value is obtained by a simple fraction: (real value - minimum value) / (maximum value - minimum value)

Thus, each country is located with an HDI between 0 and 1 that represents, in general, the average achievements obtained in the fundamental dimensions of human development. Four main categories are distinguished based on this parameter:

• Very high HDI: index greater than 0.8 (62 countries)
• High HDI: between 0.7 and 0.7999 (56 countries)
• Medium HDI: 0.55 and 0.6999 (37 countries)
• Low HDI: index less than 0.55 (38 countries)

What are the 15 countries with the lowest HDI on the planet?

Once we have dissected what the HDI is and how it is calculated, we are ready to show you the 15 countries that are in the lowest positions according to this synthetic indicator. Of course, beyond the anecdote and knowledge, this type of data must generate reflections at the individual and population level on what we consider a priority: a dignified life or a class privilege.

15. Guinea (HDI: 0.466)

In last place (but not for that reason the most privileged) we have Guinea, one of the poorest countries in the world with complete dependence on international aid. The Gross National Product (set of final goods and services produced by its factors of production and sold in the market during a given period) experienced a decrease of 16% in the 1990s, and 80% of the workforce, today, is dedicated to production agricultural.

In addition, we are facing one of the countries most devastated by the plague of Ebola triggered in 2014. With a mortality rate of 70%, more than 2,500 people died from this virus in a two-year interval.

14. Liberia (HDI: 0.465)

Located on the west coast of Africa, the republic of Liberia is ranked 14th. The main reason for the current devastating situation is attributed to the two successive civil wars experienced in this territory from 1989 to 2003, which have left 85% of the population below the international poverty line.

Unfortunately, the aforementioned Ebola epidemic hit this region the hardest, with more than 10,000 people infected, of whom nearly 5,000 ended up dying.

13. Yemen (HDI: 0.463)

As of today, Yemen is classified as a developing country, being the poorest region in the entire Middle East. Due to its rugged geography and climate, only the 1% of the surface of this country is considered irrigable, so economic activity is limited and scarce. It is estimated that this country has a GDP per capita of US $ 943, which is negligible when compared with the annual GDP of Germany, of more than 41,000 euros per person.

12. Guinea-Bissau (HDI: 0.461)

Like many other countries on this list, Guinea-Bissau has clearly suffered the effects of a civil war. It currently has a foreign debt of US $ 921 million and is under a structural adjustment program of the International Monetary Fund. With more than 350 thousand hectares cultivated, this country is sustained in a subsistence economy, since basically all production is destined for local consumption.

11. Democratic Republic of the Congo (HDI: 0.459)

Without going into geopolitical details, we can affirm that the Second Congo War is one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history. This political disaster claimed the lives of more than 3.8 million of people directly or indirectly, plunging the country into debt and drastically reducing the production, despite the vast amount of both agricultural and mineral resources that the territory.

10. Mozambique (HDI: 0.446)

80% of the agricultural activity in this country is focused on the subsistence economy, that is, generally family farms that only allow self-sufficiency.

Beyond armed conflicts (which have also occurred in the region), Mozambique has been plagued by various inclement weather. An example of this was the massive floods of 2000, which claimed the lives of more than 350 people.

9. Sierra Leone (HDI: 0.438)

Following a nine-year civil war, Sierra Leone is considered to be the second poorest country in the world, with an immense inequality in the distribution of income.

Despite its mineral wealth and the export that this historically entailed (the famous diamonds, which in 2004 accounted for 83% of exports, only 10% of them legal), about two thirds of the country's population are currently engaged in agriculture of subsistence. 70% of its inhabitants are below the poverty line.

In addition, we are facing another of the countries hardest hit by the Ebola epidemic. With more than 14,000 confirmed cases and almost 4,000 deaths, this region was the worst hit after Liberia.

8. Burkina Faso (HDI: 0.434)

Agriculture represents 32% of the gross domestic product of this country and employs 92% of its working population. The aridity of the soils in this geographical area (which makes agricultural production extremely difficult) and a excessive population growth, with an average of 6.41 children per woman, are factors that largely explain the precarious situation in the country.

7. Eritrea (HDI: 0.434)

The civil war Between Eritrea and Ethiopia, despite lasting just over two years, between 53,000 and 300,000 civilians were killed. Not all casualties were human, as this conflict caused the loss of 825 million dollars and caused irrecoverable damage to the country's agricultural sector.

6. Mali (HDI: 0.427)

With an income per person of $ 1,500 per year, Mali is considered one of the poorest countries in the world. Even so, it is a region with a more positive prognosis than some of those already listed, since, for example, gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 17.6% between 2002 and 2005.

5. Burundi (HDI: 0.423)

From here on, repeating that the country mentioned is one of the poorest in the world will be taken for granted, then, by Unfortunately, we anticipate that the living conditions of the inhabitants will not improve in the latter positions.

It is estimated that 80% of Burundi's population lives below the poverty line, and in addition, almost 57% of children are chronically malnourished. We are facing another region that subsists on the basis of survival economy, since 90% of the population cultivates to eat. The only source of income for the country is coffee, which represents 93% of exports.

4. South Sudan (HDI: 0.413)

Again, we are facing another country that has been ravaged by a series of armed conflicts that we cannot summarize in a few lines. Despite the precarious situation of the region, it is necessary to emphasize that it has important reservoirs of mineral resources. For example, oil revenue they constitute more than 98% of the budget of the government of South Sudan.

3. Chad (HDI: 0.401)

Another of the most affected countries in terms of economy and population well-being, since more than 80% of the population of this region is below the poverty line.

Despite this, the significant foreign investment for the creation of oil infrastructure seems to draw a slightly more promising horizon for the country. For example, the American company ExxonMobil Corporation has invested more than 3.7 million dollars to exploit the country's oil reserves. The connotations of this type of news are left to the personal interpretation of the reader.

2. Central African Republic (HDI: 0.381)

We are facing a country that has been in permanent conflict throughout its recent history. The average life expectancy of the inhabitants of the region is 50.66 years, the percentage of illiteracy reaches almost 50% and the World Health Organization estimates that more than 13% of the population is infected with the HIV virus. Of course, these data speak for themselves.

1. Niger (HDI: 0.377)

With nothing to celebrate, we arrived in the country with the lowest HDI in the world: the Republic of Niger. We are facing a region that is affected by almost any negative social factor that we can imagine: food insecurity, social precariousness, demographic escalation, terrorist threats and many others mishaps.

The lack of rainfall (which causes the drying of crops and the death of livestock) and the high price of food in the country translates, according to the organization Save The Children, where more than 1.2 million children are at risk of malnutrition and nearly 400,000 infants live with severe malnutrition. The data are devastating, since it is estimated that one in six children of the region die before reaching the age of five.

Resume

Describing the geopolitical and climatological events that lead to the precarious situation of a country in a few lines is a task at least complicated, but we hope that a general idea has been clear: most of the countries listed here have been ravaged by wars, epidemics of viral origin and environmental inclemencies that have made it impossible even to develop a minimum subsistence economy to avoid hunger.

Ironically, many of these regions have extensive arable areas and mineral wealth in the form of oil or diamonds. but illegal trafficking or poor economic infrastructure prevent this from translating into general population well-being.

Beyond figures and percentages, all the data provided here translates into precariousness, premature death, lives on the edge and countless dramatic stories that will never be told. Of course, this knowledge leaves a lot of room for personal reflection.

Bibliographic references

• Multiple economic data for the countries described. Wikipedia.org. Collected on October 13.
• The human development index, National University of San Martín. Picked up on October 13 in http://www.unsam.edu.ar/escuelas/economia/oem/pdf/OEM-Boletin10.pdf
• HDI ranking, economipedia.com. Picked up on October 13 in https://economipedia.com/ranking/ranking-indice-de-desarrollo-humano-2018.html