冰岛发展成就世界最高
http://www.huanqiu.com 来源：环球网 进入论坛 2007-11-30 11:03
28日，联合国开发计划署公布了2007年度人类发展指数报告，冰岛取代连续6年位居榜首的挪威，成为人类发展指数最高的国家。
包括中国香港和巴勒斯坦地区在内的175个成员国参与了此项评估。排名居于前列的国家分别是冰岛、挪威、澳大利亚、加拿大及爱尔兰。美国从2006年的排名第8位跌至第12位。来自非洲的塞拉利昂则在排名表上垫底。
人类发展指数通过衡量人类预期寿命、教育程度及生活标准等方面，将参与评估的国家分为发达、发展中及不发达三类。饱受艾滋病困扰的撒哈拉以南非洲国家中的22国人类发展指数偏低。（沈珺）
Iceland Tops UNDP 2007 Human Development Index Report
Iceland topped the United Nations 2007 Human Development Index report released Tuesday. The other top placers in the survey are Norway, which slipped to second place, Australia, Canada and Ireland. The U.S. went down to 12th rank from its 8th place in 2006, while Sierra Leone was the cellar dweller.
All 22 nations classified as having low human development belong to the sub-Saharan Africa, a region known for widespread AIDS incidents.
Norway, which used to hold the number one position for 6 years, went down a notch lower after new life expectancy estimates and updated gross domestic product figures were included. While the U.S. went down on its overall ranking, it was second ranked on real per capita GDP at $41,890, next to Luxembourg which registered $60,228.
The UNDP ranked 175 UN member nations, including Hong Kong and Palestinian territories, but excluded 17 countries including Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia due to lack of data. It has been publishing the annual Human Development Index report since 1990.
The report observed an improvement in human development index in many nations over the past 30 years, but 16 countries registered lower indexes compared to 1990 and 3 below 1975 levels. These are in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Sub-Saharan region, the report said, was suffering from the catastrophic effect of HIV and AIDS on life expectancy. In 10 such nations, 2 out of 5 children are not expected to reach 40.
In contrast, Japan, which has an aging population problem, has the highest life expectancy at 82.3 years, while Zambians, on the average, live only until 40.5 years.
The index measures life expectancy, literacy, education and standard of living. With its benchmarks, nations are classified as developed, developing or underdeveloped. Indian Nobel prize winner Amartya Sen, Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq, Yale University professor Gustav Ranis and London School of Economics professor Lord Meghnad Desai developed the index in 1990.
