Global Indicators of Sustainable Development: Evaluation of the Influence of the Human Development Index on Consumption and Quality of Energy

Abstract

The article explores the impact of the quality and volume of energy consumption of the population on the human development index using a sample of a number of countries as an example. The hypothesis concerning the relationship between the amount of energy consumed, the human development index (HDI), and the environment (CO2 emissions into the atmosphere) has been verified. The study results show that the size and rating of the HDI are influenced by such factors as urbanization growth, gross domestic product (GDP), gross national income (GNI) per capita, the share of “clean” energy consumption by the population and business in total energy consumption, the level of socio-economic development, and R&D expenses. In the course of building the model, the recommendations by the United Nations (UN) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) were used. The results show that the volume of energy consumption not only affects the human development index in a particular country, but is also an important factor in determining the level of sustainable development. The results, obtained in the course of the study and described in the article, may be applicable in the practice of research related to the assessment of human development and sustainable development.