HDI: Economic Development 1

Map 1: HDI in Countries in Latin America and the Caribbeans 

    In the map above, we will be evaluated the different HDIs in Latin America and the Carribeans. HDI stands for Human Development Index. The information gathered about Human Development Index comes from United Nations Development Programme. The purpose of HDI is to summarize the average achievement of human development in an area. HDI is a number 0.0-1.0, 0.0 meaning no achievement of human development and 1.0 being complete maximum achievement of human development. HDI is measured by life expectancy at birth, years of education, and gross national income per capita.

    In the map, you will notice 4 different colored borders. These colors represent the HDI in that country. Red represents an HDI of 0.51-0.716.  Yellow indicates an HDI of 0.718-0.759. Green represents an HDI of 0.765-0.796. Blue represents an HDI of 0.81-0.944. There are some countries left in a grey boundary with no value. This is because these countries are not part of this HDI data set. 

    To understand some of these values, looking at examples are helpful. Haiti has an HDI of 0.510, this is the lowest in this region. If we evaluate the factors that play into this, we know why. Haiti only has an average life expectancy of 64, the expected years of schooling is 9.7, the mean years of schooling is 5.6, and the gross national income per capita is 1,709. Looking back at the activity on the 2010 earthquake, it is apparent why the earthquake was so devastating. With a HDI this low, resources such as funds, health care, education, and more are scarce in Haiti. On an opposite note, Argentina has a high HDI of 0.845. Argentina has a life expectancy of 76.7, the expected years of schooling is 17.7, the mean years of schooling is 10.9, and the gross national income per capita is 21,339. These values are the reason that Argentina is more "successful" and developed than other countries in this region.