Dominican Republic climbs 28 positions in the Human Development Index

Santo Domingo, DR

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) revealed Thursday that in the global HDI 2020 report, the Dominican Republic shows significant improvement climbing 28 places.

However, it warned that the country is entering a position where planetary pressures are beginning to grow.

The challenge, stated UNDP’s regional director, Luis Felipe López Calva, is to have an HDI without planetary pressures.

He highlighted the remarkable progress achieved by the Dominican Republic in terms of income, education, and life expectancy, during the last 30 years but stressed that inequality exists. In that indicator, the country has lost 21 points.

“It is an issue that must be taken into account,” he said, “as well as the lag that is observed in gender inequality.”

In the country, women are more educated; however, they receive lower incomes by 25% and face a significant imbalance, which dramatically impacts, he indicated.

He stressed that the Republic has structural strengths and a high level of Human Development Index, and the planetary pressures it exhibits are moderate.

In the National Presentation of the HDI 2020, the report’s results, recommendations, and panelists’ presentations were explained.

The meeting was in charge of Ministers Miguel Ceara Hatton and Orlando Jorge Mera, Minister of Economy, Planning, and Development and Minister of Environment, respectively; César Dargam, Executive Vice President of the National Council of Private Enterprise (Conep); Leidy Blanco, Director of Citizen Participation, which was moderated by economist and professor Rolando Guzmán.