Romania retains developed country status in UN ranking

Romania kept its status as a developed country in the UN’s 2021 Human Development Index. It ranked 53rd globally, the lowest place among EU member states aside from Bulgaria.

Bulgaria is the only EU country that is not in the group of the most developed states globally from among EU countries.

The UN’s Human Development Index (HDI) aims to summarize and measure the average achievement in key dimensions of human development: health, education, and standard of living. The ranking was first introduced in 1990 as a more human-centered way to measure a society’s level of development.

Romanians have a life expectancy of 74.2 years, below countries like Hungary (74.5), or Bahrain (78.8), but above Belarus (72.4) or Lithuania (73.7), according to the measurements. They also have 11.3 mean years of schooling, lower than numerous other countries.

With a gross national income (GNI) per capita of USD 30,027, however, Romania is well ahead of countries like Russia (USD 27,166), or Greece (USD 29,002) and on par with Croatia.

Switzerland took first place in the ranking, with an average life expectancy of 84 years, 13.9 mean years of schooling, and a GNI of USD 66,933. South Sudan came in last, with a life expectancy of 55, 5.5 mean years of schooling, and a GNI of USD 768.

(Photo source: Radub85 | Dreamstime.com)