Mehboob-ul-Haq and Amartya Sen, the chief economists behind the Human Development Reports, might not have foreseen the similarities arising between their two native countries in 2010, 20 years from when they first coined the concept of human development.
Today, India may have enjoyed phenomenal growth in terms of its core macroeconomic indicators, beating Pakistan on many fronts, but its HDI indicators are only a tad better than Pakistan. India may be booming, but not a great majority of its people living there; and the HDI certifies this contention even in 2010.
Both Pakistan and India are categorised in the Medium Human Development group amongst a tally of 169 countries in the Human Development Index 2010, with India ranked at 119 and Pakistan only slightly behind at 125.
On the health front, despite Indias per capita expenditure of $109 on health higher than Pakistans $64, life expectancy at birth in Pakistan is slightly better off at 67.2 years in Pakistan, around 3 years greater than India. Similarly, male adult mortality is lesser, and approx 29 percent of Pakistans population suffers from at least one severe depravation in health versus 57 percent in India. Yet, ironically, a greater percentage of people are satisfied with personal health in India than in Pakistan.
As far as the gender inequality scenario is concerned, both countries portray a similar picture, although Pakistan is ranked slightly higher than India on the same. Taking it right at the helm of affairs, in 2008, India had around 9 seats for woman parliamentarians versus 21 in Pakistan, but labour force participation of women was higher in India at 36 percent against 22 in Pakistan.
India also does better on the literacy and demographic fronts than its west-side neighbour. With a literacy rate at 63 percent against 54 percent in Pakistan, higher number of years of expected schooling, and a higher percentage of population with at least secondary education, Indians can claim to be more learned than Pakistanis.
Perhaps its a result of this awareness and literacy that demographics seem a tad better in India with fertility rate (births per woman) lower than Pakistan at 2.5 (3.6 in Pakistan), as well as a lower forecasted population growth rate at 1.3 percent for 2010-2015 (2 percent for Pakistan).
Interestingly, perceptions of overall well being and happiness are higher in India than Pakistan. A higher proportion of Indians is satisfied with standards of living, and believe they have a purposeful life and strong social support network than do the Pakistanis.
However, as far as poverty is concerned, a key indicator of human development and an issue of grave concern in both countries, Pakistan is slightly better off than its neighbour.
Despite a higher GNI per capita of $3,337 in India as opposed to $2,678 in Pakistan, the percentage of population living in multidimensional poverty, which identifies overlapping depravations suffered by households in health, education and living standards, is higher in India than in Pakistan.
Sadly, the proportion of population below the poverty line (less than $1.25 a day) is much higher in India at 42 percent, while it is 23 percent in Pakistan. Given these details, it comes as no surprise that 10 percent of Indias population lives in degraded land against 4 percent in Pakistan.
Its obvious that commendable macroeconomic indicators such as GNI and GDP per capita do not tell the whole story. The two neighbours need to work on the overall well-being of their populace as well.