Togo improves ranking in UNDP’s Human Development Index
Monday, 22 May 2023 16:00 
(Togo First) - Togo ranked 162nd in the 2022 Human Development Index (HDI), with a score of 0.539. According to the UNDP, which published the report, this is “significant progress” compared to the year before when the country ranked 167th (with a score of 0.515).
The progress was disclosed last Friday, by the UN agency which launched the report that day. The launching ceremony was presided over by Sandra Ablamba Johnson, Minister Secretary General of the Togolese Presidency. It was attended by several officials, including the Minister of Education, Dodzi Kokoroko, and Binta Sanneh, the UNDP’s new resident representative.
"According to this 2021/2022 report, Togo is making significant progress. Indeed, our country's human development index has increased from 0.515 in 2019/2022 to 0.539 in 2021/2022. As a result, Togo ranked 162nd out of 191 countries in the 2021/2022 report, against 167th in the 2019/2020 report, a five rank jump," said Johnson. She then urged partners to help the country achieve its goals, regarding social inclusion and human development.
National gross income goes up
Over the period reviewed, Togo’s gross national income rose, from $1,602 in 2019/2020 to $2,167 in 2021/2022. Similarly, life expectancy at birth improved slightly, from 61 years in 2019/2020 to 61.6 years in 2021/2022.
Inequalities
Despite these improvements, the UNDP noted a high level of inequality, especially gender-related, in Togo. Indeed, last year, the development index for women in the country stood at 0.497, compared to 0.586 for men.
The HDI, let’s recall, assesses a country’s level of development based not only on economic data but also on the living standards of its inhabitants. While Togo’s HDI score is still below the global average, it has been progressing steadily in recent years. The figure rose from 0.484 in 2014 to 0.487 in 2015, then to 0.503 in 2017, 0.513 in 2018, 0.515 in 2019/2020, and finally to 0.539 in 2021/2022.
The 2022 HDI report authors also highlighted the current global environment which is marked by the war in Ukraine, its impacts on people and economies, climate and ecologic disasters, as well as the Covid pandemic which the world is recovering from.
Check out the report here.
Ayi Renaud Dossavi
