Australia Pledges to Cooperate with Vietnam in Promoting Gender Equality
	Vietnam Climbs Eight Places in Human Development Index

The 2025 Human Development Report, titled A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI, examines global development progress through the lens of the Human Development Index (HDI), which evaluates advancements in health, education, and income. Forecasts for 2024 indicate stagnation in HDI growth across all regions worldwide.

Photo: Nhan Dan

Artificial Intelligence as a Catalyst for Development

Instead of a steady post-crisis recovery, global human development progress remains sluggish, with 2024 projections showing the lowest growth rate since 1990 (excluding crisis years).

Despite this stagnation, Vietnam’s HDI reached 0.766 in 2023, ranking 93rd globally—a 53.5% rise since 1990. However, widening inequality and constrained development pathways demand urgent action to prevent prolonged stagnation.

UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner warns that slowing progress threatens long-term global development goals, making the world more divided and vulnerable. Rising trade tensions, debt crises, and jobless industrialization further challenge nations with low HDI.

Steiner emphasizes the potential of AI in shaping development, urging proactive choices to harness emerging technologies and unlock new possibilities.

Putting People at the Center of AI Development

The latest survey reveals that while AI’s impact is met with realism, it is also seen with optimism. Half of respondents anticipate job automation, yet up to 60% believe AI will create new employment opportunities.

In low- and medium-HDI countries, 70% expect AI to enhance productivity, and two-thirds foresee using AI in education, healthcare, or work within a year. As AI adoption accelerates, the report highlights three priorities: fostering collaboration between people and AI, embedding human agency throughout AI’s lifecycle, and modernizing education and healthcare systems for the digital age.

With AI’s democratization already underway, closing gaps in electricity and internet access remains crucial. However, true progress depends on AI’s ability to strengthen human labor rather than replace it.

Pedro Conceição, Director of UNDP’s Human Development Report Office, emphasizes that the decisions made today will shape AI’s role in human development. He notes that with the right policies, AI can serve as a bridge to new knowledge, skills, and economic opportunities.

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