Definition
The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic published annually by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It combines three dimensions of human development:
- Health: Life expectancy at birth
- Education: Expected years of schooling (for children) and mean years of schooling (for adults)
- Standard of living: Gross National Income (GNI) per capita in purchasing power parity terms
Each dimension is normalised and the composite is the geometric mean of the three normalised indices. HDI ranges from 0 to 1.
HDI Categories:
- Very High Human Development: >0.800
- High Human Development: 0.700-0.799
- Medium Human Development: 0.550-0.699
- Low Human Development: <0.550
Oman’s HDI Trajectory
| Year | HDI Value | Global Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.540 | — |
| 2000 | 0.680 | — |
| 2010 | 0.783 | — |
| 2018 (Baseline) | 0.821 | 48 |
| 2022 (Latest) | 0.847 | ~60 |
| 2030 (Target) | >0.871 | Top 30 |
| 2040 (Target) | >0.908 | Top 20 |
Significance for Vision 2040
Oman’s HDI improvement from 0.540 (1990) to 0.847 (2022) is one of the fastest sustained improvements in human development in the world — a direct result of Sultan Qaboos’s education and healthcare investment from 1970 onwards.
Vision 2040’s HDI targets reflect ambitions to continue this trajectory — reaching 0.908 by 2040 would place Oman among the world’s top 20 human development performers.
Limitations
HDI is a broad composite and does not capture inequality, sustainability, or subjective wellbeing. Oman tracks supplementary indicators (Gender Development Index, income distribution) to complement HDI.