The Human Development Index is the geometric mean of three normalized dimension indices

Background

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a summary measure of average achievement in three key dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, being knowledgeable, and having a decent standard of living. The HDI is the geometric mean of normalized indices for each of the three dimensions. The health dimension is assessed by life expectancy at birth. The education dimension is measured by mean years of schooling for adults aged 25 years and more, together with expected years of schooling for children of school-entering age. The standard of living dimension is measured by gross national income per capita; the HDI uses the logarithm of income, to reflect the diminishing importance of income with increasing gross national income. The HDI was created to emphasise that people and their capabilities, not economic growth alone, should be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of a country. The Human Development Report Office notes that the HDI does not reflect inequalities, poverty, human security or empowerment, for which it publishes other composite indices.