HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDEX OF UKRAINE: INDICATORS AND RATINGS

Abstract

The main purpose of the proposed paper is analysis of the current status and general trends of human development of Ukraine and selected indicators characterizing it. The methodology of the research draws upon the system-structural analysis and the methods of comparison, analysis, generalization and synthesis. The descriptive method and the method of scientific systematization were also used. Results. The four main components of the human development paradigm according to the 1995 Human Development Report are described, namely: productivity, equity, sustainability and empowerment. The essence of key indicators included in the system of measuring and monitoring human development is generalized, namely: average life expectancy at birth; the level of knowledge, measured by the average number of years spent on adult education and the expected years of study for first-graders; gross national income per capita in US dollars. The current state of human development in the world is analyzed, a rating of countries with the highest and lowest human development index during 1990-2018 is developed and the main causes of disparities in the level of human development between countries are identified. The countries with the largest increase and decrease in the human development index during the studied years are selected. The place of Ukraine in regional and global rankings is described. The dynamics of the human development index of Ukraine and neighboring countries during 1990-2018 is analyzed. The key issues that led to the economic, financial and political crisis and, consequently, the decline of the human development index in Ukraine since independence, including the global financial crisis of 2008 and the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the occupation of the territory of the eastern regions of the state (Donetsk and Luhansk regions) are highlighted. The scientific novelty consists in the revelation of the actual features of human potential development and its individual indicators in Ukraine and in the world. The dynamics and the current state of development of the components of the human development index of Ukraine are determined. A comparative assessment of the dynamics of human development of Ukraine and neighboring countries is given. The practical significance lies in the fact that the main provisions and conclusions of the paper can be used in further in-depth studies of the problems and prospects of human development in Ukraine.