The Human Development Index – or HDI – is a summary measure for assessing long-term progress in three basic dimensions of human development. 

These are long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living.

Iran’s HDI value – for the year 2016– is 0.766.  This puts the country in the “high human development” category.  (UNDP uses four HDR categories: very high, high, medium and low.)

Iran’s current position is 69 out of 188 countries and territories.  More than this, Iran has made considerable progress in human development when measured over the past 37 years.

According to UNDP calculations, between the years 1990 and 2014, Iran’s HDI value increased by 35 per cent – or at an average annual increase of about 1.26 per cent. 

The Report also says that Iran achieved the second highest reduction in HDI shortfall – among developing countries. Only one country (the Republic of Korea) was able to do better. 

What do these numbers mean for the average citizen? 

The first component of the HDI is “a long and healthy life”.  UNDP measures this in terms of life expectancy at birth.  During the period from 1980, Iran increased this measure from 54.1 years to 75.4 years.

The second component is “access to knowledge”.  The yardstick is expected years of schooling starting in 1990.  Iran recorded an increase from 9.2 to 15.1 years – an impressive achievement.

The third component is “a decent standard of living”.  Here again the increase has been considerable.  Having attained the status of a upper-middle-income country.

Here are other relevant facts:

In Iran, for every 100,000 live births, only 23 women die from pregnancy-related causes.   

In Iran, the adolescent birth rate is 31.5 births per 1000 women of ages 15-19. 

There are nonetheless persistent development challenges.  Unemployment combined with inflation are persistent challenges.  The 2015 HDR also points to areas to be addressed in terms of gender equity.

Nonetheless, for the period, 1980-2015, Iran’s policy interventions – and actions – have produced significant improvements in its human development index.