Human Development in the Dominican Term Paper

None of these countries are at the top or bottom of the scale of human development in the world today, though. Topping the list is Norway, which has a life expectancy of 81.1 years, 17.3 years of expected schooling for each individual, and an annual per-capita income of $47,557 (UNDP, 2012). The United States is ranked fourth in human development, with a per-capita income of $43,017 and a life expectancy of 78.5 years, with each citizen of the United States receiving an expected 16 years of formal education in their lives (UNDP, 2012). Comparing these numbers to those of Latin America truly puts the world's issues into perspectives, and a comparison with a country at the bottom of the index makes the realities of global human development and its imbalance all the more palpable. Much of Africa occupies the lowest ranks on the Human Development Index, and citizens of Niger -- the nation that is second-to-last in overall rankings -- can expect only 4.9 years of schooling in an average lifespan of just 54.7 years in which survival must be eked out of an average of $641 per year (a figure potentially distorted by the highest earners at the top of the economy in the country) (UNDP, 2012).

The Dominican Republic I, as mentioned above, better than average. The situation in Niger and even in Paraguay and El Salvador make it clear that things could be worse. Ideally, however, the Dominican Republic and the world at large will eventually be able to achieve the same level of human development as Norway, the United States, and the rest of the developed world.

References

Arab Human Development…