South Korea came 15th in the 2011 Human Development Index (HDI) rankings published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) last week, out of the 187 countries included in the survey.
Last year, Korea ranked 12th out of 170.
HDI is a measure used by the UNDP’s Human Development Report Office to evaluate socioeconomic development, encompassing indicators of health, education and living standards in a given country. Korea scored exceptionally high in health and education, placing above the average for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.
Norway kept its top seat from last year’s rankings, followed by Australia, the Netherlands, and the U.S. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was ranked last.
The report ranked Korea above France and the U.K., which came in 20th and 28th, respectively. In Asia, it came third after Japan and Hong Kong. China, which ranked 89th last year, dropped down to 101st this year.
However, when adjusted for inequality, Korea dropped from 15th to 32nd place. The other country to see such a significant drop in the inequality-adjusted HDI rankings was the U.S., falling from 4th place to 23rd.
The adjusted index takes into account economic and social inequalities within the general development index, enabling a more comprehensive assessment of a society’s well-being. Korea’s 17place drop was attributed mainly to education gaps between generations, while the U.S. is severely affected by income and healthcare gaps.
Meanwhile, many European countries moved up in rank when inequality was weighed in, indicating more sustainable socioeconomic environments for all segments of society.