Chapter 4 Human Development| Class 12 Geography Notes

Human Development simply means the positive growth and progress in human habitation and livelihood. Human Development has a direct influence on the quality of life that humans lead. The point to keep in mind while understanding the topic of human development is that people are the central aspect of this concept. Basically,on we find that human development enlarges people’s choices and improves their lives.

This article provides important and simplified notes for students on the topic of Human Development, which is Chapter 4 in the Class 12 NCERT Geography textbook. Please go through this article for a better understanding of this topic and some important concepts related to it.

Growth and Development

Both growth and development refer to the changes over some time.

• Growth

1. Quantitative change.
2. Value neutral.
3. May be positive or negative.
4. E.g.- Density of population, total population.

• Development

1. Qualitative change
2. Always positive
3. Cannot take place unless there is an increment or addition to the existing conditions.
4. E.g.- Per-capita income facilities, housing facilities, provision of basic services.

Human Development

• Earlier the development level of a country was judged on the basis of the economic growth of the said country, even if the growth did not really bring any changes in the lives of most people.
• People’s quality of life, the opportunities and the freedom they have etc., became essential indicators of a nation’s development later on.
• Dr Mahbub-ul-Haq , introduced the concept of human development in 1990.
• This concept of human development is based on the idea that a meaningful life is not just a long one, but one with a purpose. Dr Haq stated that the development is all about expanding people’s choices so that they can a lead long and healthy lives with dignity.
• Nobel Laureate Prof Amartya Sen saw an increase in freedom as the main objective of development. His work explores the role of social and political institutions and processes in increasing freedom.

The Four Pillars of Human Development

The concept of human development is aided by the concepts of equity, sustainability, productivity and empowerment, which are described as the four pillars of human development. These are listed below in the table:

Equity	It refers to availability of equal opportunities to people, irrespective of their race, income, gender and caste.
Sustainability	It means continuity in the availability of opportunities so that even future generations can use the present resources.
Productivity	It means enrichment of human labor by building capabilities in people.
Empowerment	It refers to the power to make choices and this comes from increasing freedom and capability.

Approaches to Human Development

The four approaches of looking at the problem of human development are given below:

Approach	Explanation
Income Approach	It is one of the oldest approaches to human development. In this method, the development is directly linked to the income of an individual aka the higher the level of income, the higher is the level of human development. Higher income is seen to reflect higher freedom enjoyed by individuals.
Welfare Approach	This approach views human beings as beneficiaries of all development activities. Under this approach, government is responsible for increasing levels of human development by maximizing expenditure on welfare (health, education, etc.).
Basic Needs Approach	In this approach the focus is on providing six basic needs- health, education, food, water supply, sanitation and housing. This approach was initially proposed by the International Labor Organization (ILO).
Capability Approach	This approach is associated with Prof Amartya Sen. It aims to build human capabilities in health, education and access to resources in order to increase human development.

Measuring Human Development

The UNDP publishes the Human Development Report every year since 1990. It ranks all its members (countries), based on a score between 0 to 1, according to their level of human development, which is based on their performance in the areas of health, education and access to resources. Following are the ways of measuring human development:

Human Development Index (HDI)

HDI ranks the countries between 0 to 1 based on their performance in the key areas of health, education and access to resources. The closer the score to 1, the greater is the level of human development. HDI is a sum total of the weights assigned to the following dimensions; Each dimension is given a weightage of ⅓: Life expectancy at birth is an indicator to assess health. The adult literacy rate and the gross enrolment ratio represent access to education. Access to resources is measured in terms of purchasing power (in US dollars). Please note that the HDI is not considered to be the most reliable measure as it does not say anything about the distribution.

The Human Poverty Index (HPI)

This index measures the shortfall in human development. The index is based on the probability of not surviving till 40, adult literacy rate, people not having access to clean drinking water and number of underweight children. It is a non- income measure. HPI is considered to be more revealing than HDI.

Gross National Happiness (GNH)

This is Gross National Happiness which is another measure of accessing human development and Bhutan is the only country in the world to measure the country’s progress through GNH. The GNH encourages the qualitative aspect of development.

International Comparisons

• On comparing the human development of different countries, it has come to light that the size of the territory and per capita income are not directly related to human development.
• Relatively poor countries have been ranked higher in terms of human development than their richer neighbors. For e.g.- Despite having smaller economies, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago have higher rank than India.
• For comparisons, the countries are classified into four groups on the basis of human development scores earned by them:

Level of Human Development	Score in Human Development Index	Number of Countries
Very High	Above 0.800	66
High	Between 0.700-0.799	53
Medium	Between 0.550-0.699	37
Low	Below 0.549	33

a) Countries with Very High Index Value

• Under this category, countries with high HDI are those scoring above 0.802 are included.
• Usually countries with high HDI are places where a lot of investment in the social sector has taken
• place. The countries in this group provide education and healthcare which is an important government priority.
• Many of the countries under this category have been former imperial powers and have less social diversity.
• Latest ranking of top ten countries with high human development as of 2024 are:

Rank	Country
1.	Switzerland
2.	Norway
3.	Iceland
4.	Hong Kong
5.	Australia
6.	Denmark
7.	Sweden
8.	Ireland
9.	Germany
10.	Netherlands

b) Countries with High Index Value

• Countries scoring between 0.702 and 0.801 are grouped under this category.
• Good governance and huge social sector investments has led to high level of human development in these countries.

c) Countries with Medium Index Value

• Countries scoring between 0.555 and 0.701 are grouped under this category. Countries in this category of HDI form the largest group.
• Many developing countries and emerging economies that were former colonies can be seen in this category.
• A lot of these countries have overcome political instability, social uprisings in their recent history. They have a high social diversity.

d) Countries with Low Index Value

• Countries scoring below 0.554 are grouped under this category.
• Many of these countries are smaller nations going through political turmoil, social instability, civil war, famine or high incidence of diseases.

Conclusion – Class 12 Geography Notes Chapter 4 Human Development

It can be concluded that economic development does not automatically mean human development. Quality of life, freedom of choice, equal opportunities for everyone are important indicators of human development, along with financial improvement. It is also important to note that government expenditure on social sector has great contribution to a country’s ranking on HDI. Countries with high HDI generally invest more in the social sectors and are comparatively free from political instability; As opposed to this, countries with low HDI tend to spend more on Defence rather than social sectors, as they are prone to frequent political turmoil. It should be a common goal to achieve greater human development for all countries by spending more in social sector, and all nations should work towards it.

People Also View:

• Measuring Human Development
• Who introduced the concept of Human Development?
• Human Development Index (HDI)
• What is the basic goal of Human Development?

Human Development- FAQs

When was HDI first published?

In 1990, the UN Development Programme launched the first Human Development Report.

What are the four approaches of human development?

There are four distinct human development approaches which are- the income approach, welfare approach, capability approach, and basic needs approach.

What are the four pillars of HDI?

Equity, Productivity, Empowerment, and Sustainability are considered to be the four pillars of human development.

Who gave the concept of human development?

The human development concept was developed by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq.

Which is the most significant aspect of human development?

Access to resources, health, freedom of choice and education are the key areas in human development.