The Gender Development Index (GDI) is an index designed to measure gender equality.
GDI, together with the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM), was introduced in 1995 in the Human Development Report written by the United Nations Development Program. These measurements aimed to add a gender-sensitive dimension to the Human Development Index (HDI). The first measurement that they created was the Gender Development Index (GDI). The GDI is defined as a "distribution-sensitive measure that accounts for the human development impact of existing gender gaps in the three components of the HDI" (Klasen 243). Distribution sensitivity means that the GDI takes into account not only the average or general level of well-being and wealth within a given country but focuses also on how this wealth and well-being is distributed between different groups within society. The HDI and the GDI (as well as the GEM) were created to rival the more traditional general income-based measures of development such as gross domestic product (GDP) and gross national product (GNP).Klasen S. UNDP's Gender-Related Measures: Some Conceptual Problems and Possible Solutions. Journal of Human Development [serial online]. July 2006;7(2):243-274. Available from: EconLit with Full Text, Ipswich, MA. Accessed September 26, 2011.
Definition and calculation The GDI is often considered a "gender-sensitive extension of the HDI" (Klasen 245). It addresses gender gaps in life expectancy, education, and income. It uses an "inequality aversion" penalty, which creates a development score penalty for gender wander gaps in any of the categories of the Human Development Index (HDI) which include life expectancy, adult literacy, school enrolment, and logarithmic transformations of per-capita income. In terms of life expectancy, the GDI assumes that women will live an average of five years longer than men. Additionally, in terms of income, the GDI considers income gaps in terms of actual earned income.
Gender Development Index (2018) Below is a list of countries by their Gender Development Index, based on data collected in 2018, and published in 2019. Countries are grouped into five groups based on the absolute deviation from gender parity in HDI values, from 1 (closest to gender parity) to 5 (furthest from gender parity). This means that grouping takes equally into consideration gender gaps favouring males, as well as those favouring females.
2018rankCountryGender Development IndexGroupHuman Development Index(women)Human Development Index(men)10.99927131359890810.8022415450913120.80282655388356220.99861611125841510.8141219469393870.81525016246079231.0021177460285110.7979897010330990.79630333281254741.0025744292783210.9017870724514530.89947144682373951.0027229752316910.6933898794844580.69150692325987661.0032489093181310.4216541036349970.42028862400815471.0033900117428810.7440421112853070.74152832156751681.0036959761549810.7122235935463650.70960092544636290.99548086169247310.7627157468850230.766178212194142101.0046125199555910.7938624584093250.790217564125534110.99512266919167610.7452241747047490.748876694076404120.99510936265592810.7571091913631060.760830135636948131.0070567409583210.7135580801747090.70855797012558140.99262162283644710.8119035680146880.817938627706547150.99237167697938510.8520803068456410.858630215484618161.0085497388139710.8741949243803560.86678414632122170.9914474338184410.9148446063874270.922736370262227181.009470647612310.6474278745186340.641353838321097190.99043758101482410.945646796655010.954776772187986200.98981737360063610.9197519936960640.929213830982077211.0103236143278310.8163881015464770.808046144788592221.01033992748810.8196868753255320.811298111679611230.98953186946181410.7230417061461590.730690671478228240.98905814972988810.9158883639758470.926020744307072250.9885921303897110.8323164313489960.841920955835336260.9881479450613210.9293561094300280.940503002687878270.98791901477532810.8176400237951340.827638714880978281.0127231115393410.7284750703830830.719323043073244290.98689114719585610.8367204308653440.847834569438376301.0132158336333210.6548491031830380.646307609342023310.98629667319187910.7547143648241770.765200152588724320.98626154653891510.8094201618861650.820695245319724330.98603091004899810.7189656938971120.729151273626285341.0149980508300110.8283179339618050.816078349396287350.9843975046782110.8830371480323780.89703310282265936 1.0157498587153610.8858692631580980.872133287105225370.98415335943431710.6982963188049340.709540146473014380.98400656946340710.8425593449882580.856253780345916391.0160719385086810.8096912286988310.79688376187934400.98385507221778810.8363747710607340.850099567180554410.9838443945355810.6441642254482350.654741978534431420.98309072788039410.8647409332282150.879614575444782430.98302147960773810.8815783512767490.896804769340881440.98281151494614410.7129834452312430.725452881237674450.98181771352396110.9275494126910990.944726704269694460.9806836575868110.8818976074953640.899268179573288470.98046199619796910.9201180473437070.938453556498605480.97987602249926410.7477013395562820.763057083128946490.97884382892893810.7745563815015320.791297200442139500.97713685201649610.7815041126455750.799789825788274510.97648713068184810.9012106704339480.92291095511383520.97637248077037510.7891173941550530.808213473542829530.97511350318145210.9256649587865770.949289447604262540.97493072027450520.9288422979899990.9527264642235550.97477684528872920.7341041812621050.753099732323518561.0255495631143320.5221518018014540.50914341011059570.97359856097156320.7819588499865830.803163522762666580.97343949365579320.6559847230500240.67388340757209859 0.97209710553878420.7457133158856680.767118132166803601.0280155745684620.8803503197396330.856358932216745610.97163728583297620.9044981997768960.93090108105668620.97161958983818520.7100796308084690.730820619751736630.97156563662407820.890852122199520.916924280375936640.97153518106824920.7915008658721410.814690894674394650.97130238011208720.7788641593218130.801876094684266660.97040738307569320.6114267033999360.630072188303048670.97026394757351420.8932064803228080.920580922909261681.0304014172765220.865283564374010.839753856959034691.0305124721242520.7456846099932850.723605613871095700.96930390007277220.654143107785790.67485863591045710.96804673118391520.9227881255149360.953247499102003720.96801431347519520.7100816651593040.733544592548527730.96727498613335420.8658592359189380.895153134663575740.9667169336449920.9035264697746690.934633953672392750.96658656319094120.9156825044220630.94733626484437760.96603536030257920.9214226946624730.953818806771077770.96550583987218520.8008639819507970.829476062057601780.96514801678625420.8316791591311910.861711514364929790.96457366839620.8670039055086530.898846748481537800.96345007981205520.9018776593155330.936091737613916810.96338499437009420.9243028917404280.959432518818482820.9633145859163220.918836298614050.953827868951074830.96299262587512620.8949490949414610.929341586731435840.9627221022003520.8541409002978020.887214387563783850.96228069809281420.5949694684045310.618290972253447860.96189602210921320.8276370345922050.860422556668226870.96073717870011920.74117231340530.771462091649362880.95935415697619120.6557586961583080.683541830084114890.95725177546059720.7471674347284330.780533871947035901.0433802344789620.873283738922520.836975543588494910.95328124517570620.5661673941838690.593914332259327920.95106862911192620.738355740217780.776343281249042930.94934676389444630.5751995315281630.60588981118823940.9484790944016830.7527407669906560.793629265456294950.94685847742138830.7367747491451410.778125524261687960.94643663724901130.5042252531327950.532761764800671970.94430173354805130.6919147849764370.732726373779583980.94300174367674430.6284574126599450.666443531917134990.94298370216384330.5196910322167980.5511134826872141000.94264491858612630.7928796543688170.841122291899752 –World average0.941430799701876 –0.7069809620688510.7509643430964141010.9404340160412530.7280065864172310.7741176669488941020.93897418636778430.6892172955515260.7340109084549091030.93853066753719430.6854370157021950.7303299075999891040.93750140270940530.7494250072624430.7993854783540421050.93727821688220430.6813190367694080.7269122705484111060.93658018166530630.7997536621462860.8539083762420291070.93607112842192230.6776816434118890.7239638344089941080.9355652018343830.5091167164276920.544180903083461090.93351480490962130.8698599902741360.9318116710086371100.9333412489074530.5534460920433080.5929729267737391110.93083463325655230.6703506994558280.7201608916404271120.93050838132375530.5906082263447380.634715643833891130.92997950092854730.4662564256690240.5013620463714371140.92938894963799930.5808963792681150.6250304347758561150.92486512647304940.5402171469024770.5841037048964991160.92384588766517640.7705301121796020.8340461569049711170.9237615083379140.7353055646555120.7959906945879581180.91913255299107540.5566691112493230.6056461708790421190.91704483628199740.6688975632982450.729405517411971200.91206626229509340.5671200604122230.6217969942064741210.90185252217765940.5455241382094970.604892845331571220.90139924105708840.421710016316380.4678393292430921230.89972172027279550.5714329400299160.6351218684113331240.89933864329056750.5894753906555120.6554543108463521250.89861993098462550.4379381410354130.4873452345482261260.89851621194726150.689300896581750.7671546572185931270.89737474862935450.5488863250335760.6116578674315751280.89546371349403750.5745380677127710.641609547159611290.89334581543490550.5805031373570530.6498078653611291300.89057706426302350.6784548008714030.7618148143449471310.89036582755132650.4773976716905520.5361814850907811320.88806954092726650.5040173906298250.5675427062880251330.88348683576002650.4857150053199310.5497705066562671340.88248320892989750.4105998301530550.4652777820565561350.87913680570979550.7843330885158930.8921627253253721360.87831658801258350.642667782571630.7317040248845031370.87469031625061150.4031491715158350.4609050357890631380.87399974112142150.7268493702863130.8316356814404771390.8734713939135150.4759602525576820.5449065142536431400.87134692458878750.6235192184959380.715580902279761410.8689215860064950.5220077575847770.6007535846633671420.86830115910110950.6542889178530240.7535276338112491430.86767597256479550.4916761923405550.5666587618960941440.86458856540341750.6849719300961630.7922518958790021450.8626877564948750.483764453362740.560764250704441460.85293496102527850.4791131682077320.5617229801810561470.84404524442238750.4188574648668420.4962500145990191480.84389917527398450.427700522946570.5068147184854291490.83891522879204150.3687354991849390.4395384498096231500.83650012307320650.4565000342774830.5457262009721581510.83280705074979250.6029939835566290.7240500461826581520.83211033937530550.4156971943751940.4995697982641011530.82865927142364550.5736503812083530.6922632751369761540.81789085511870950.4589919657493260.5611897515136151550.80709959883983950.3801404247713070.4709956804807461560.8060665700461850.413426562404140.5128938201474531570.79855590931439350.5613410067740110.7029451541545231580.79625110090493650.4453768206425650.5593421725086411590.79544475252861550.3351492591004810.4213356842635341600.7953231994611450.4573722229105040.575077180221061610.78932423042671450.5873528971347610.7441212045615711620.77445236081153850.3473982358610340.4485727637231630.74687827364040950.4642842841338440.621633136911112164 0.72286197396533350.4107563659784110.5682362342635971650.45753612689264450.2448730823776730.53519944761681660.29817984368868450.1297711618719380.435211046684383
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