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The Human Development Index, 1870–1999: Some revised estimates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2002

NICHOLAS CRAFTS
NICHOLAS CRAFTS
Affiliation:
Department of Economic History, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK
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Abstract

This article presents revised estimates for the Human Development Index (HDI) for the benchmark years 1870, 1913, 1950, 1975 and 1999, based on the latest available data for real gross domestic product per person and on the recently modified formula for HDI. The results indicate that HDI in most of today's less-developed countries exceeds that of Western Europe in 1870 and that the gaps in HDI between Western Europe and each of Africa, China and India were smaller in 1999 than in 1950. Both these outcomes have been heavily influenced by widespread gains in life expectancy.

Type
Research Article
Information
European Review of Economic History , Volume 6 , Issue 3 , December 2002 , pp. 395 - 405
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press

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