India's Rank in Human Development Index (HDI) in year 2021 is:

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 2:

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite index published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in its Human Development Report (HDR). It measures a country's average achievements in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life (measured by life expectancy), knowledge (measured by mean and expected years of schooling), and a decent standard of living (measured by Gross National Income per capita). The HDI report released in 2022 (which covered data primarily for the year 2021) confirmed that India's rank had slipped to **132** out of 191 countries. This slip from 131 in the previous year was primarily attributed to a decline in life expectancy at birth, reflecting the global impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on human development progress.

The incorrect option is 1 (130): The rank 130 was close to India's position in prior years, but specifically for the 2021 data (published in the 2022 HDR), it was not the official rank.
The incorrect option is 3 (128): The rank 128 is significantly higher than India's position in 2021 and previous years, suggesting a level of human development achievement that India has not yet reached in the HDI rankings.
The incorrect option is 4 (134): While 134 is close to the correct rank, it would imply a further slip in development relative to the officially published 2021 data, which placed India at rank 132.