Egypt’s Human Development Index edges up in 2023 – UNDP

Egypt’s Human Development Index (HDI) rose to 0.754 in 2023 from 0.751 in 2022, reflecting steady progress across health, education, and income indicators, the Planning Ministry said Monday, citing the latest United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report.

The 2025 Human Development Report, titled A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, found Egypt maintained its status in the “high human development” category, despite its HDI score remaining slightly below the global average of 0.756 and well below the 0.777 average for high-development countries.

Egypt outperformed regional peers, surpassing the Arab countries’ average HDI of 0.719 and the developing countries’ average of 0.712.

The report cited life expectancy in Egypt at 71.6 years, expected years of schooling at 13.1, and mean years of schooling at 10.1 — indicating improvements in healthcare and access to education.

Egypt’s Gender Development Index (GDI) stood at 0.895, with women reaching 89.5 per cent of male development levels — above the Arab average of 0.871 but below the global average of 0.955.

On the Gender Inequality Index (GII), Egypt scored 0.398 in 2023, ranking 101st out of 172 countries — a better performance than both the Arab and global averages, the UNDP said.

The report highlighted Egypt’s progress while calling for further investment in healthcare, education, and gender equality to sustain gains.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English

Subediting: Y.Yasser