HDI = Development?

The HDI is a composite measurement which includes real GDP per capita at ppps, life expectancy, adult literacy and years of schooling in a weighted format. This reflects the standard of living, longevity and knowledge. The components are combined to give a single value between 0 and 1. The HDI can be adjusted to take into account income distribution and can be disaggregated for individual groups of regions. In these ways it improves on GDP, gives a simple comparison and reflects important elements of development. It is open to criticisms for the continuing omissions e.g. access to clean water and the elements which it is unable to measure e.g. political freedom. It has its own issues such as the equal weighting of the components and the difficulty in measuring quality as opposed to quantity. Other measures such as the HPI and MEW may be alternatives.