Zimbabwe is one of three countries for which the Human Development Index (HDI) is worse off than it was in 1970.
The report, prepared by the UN Development Programme, noted that almost all the 135 countries surveyed during 2010 had recorded substantial progress in human development which is measured .
Of 135 countries in our sample for 19702010, with 92 percent of the worlds people, only 3the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Zimbabwe have a lower HDI today than in 1970, the report said.
Zimbabwe has the worst quality of life in the world, according to the report.
The HDI is a simple measure of development and captures progress in three basic capabilities to live a long and healthy life, to be educated and knowledgeable, and to enjoy a decent standard of living.
The HDI helps answer some basic questions about the progress of societies, such as which countries have progressed faster and whether poor countries are catching up with rich ones.
Zimbabwe owes its poor score to low income and life expectancy, which
is only 47 years.
Zimbabwe has plunged from being the darling of Africa soon after
independence from Britain in 1980 to becoming a pariah state by 2000.
The southern African country was often praised for the progressive
social policies it adopted after the overthrow of minority white rule
in 1980.
Public spending on health and education rose rapidly in the 1980s,
especially for rural health centres, water, sanitation and rural
schools.
Infant mortality rates were halved between 1980 and 1993, and child
immunization rates rose from 25 percent to 80 percent.
However, the government faced challenges in sustaining expansion,
especially when the economy collapsed after 2000 because of poor
economic management.
The countrys HDI fell from 0.34 in 1990 to 0.26 in 2000, driven by a
contraction of three of the four indicators used to calculate the
HDIthe literacy rate was the exception.
Income poverty increased and people coped in part by moving to towns
and neighbouring countries.
The HIV epidemic was a further shock, compounding the strain on public
services.
The income poverty rate is estimated at around 62 percent in 2010, up
from 42 percent in 1995.
The decrease in the quality of life in Zimbabwe is an indictment to
President Robert Mugabes policies.
Zimbabwes once showcase education and health sectors are in a state
of accelerated decay, in a vivid reminder of how a jewel so tirelessly
built by Mugabes government after independence has been shattered and
its ruins a hallmark of the veteran leaders controversial rule,
especially in the last decade.
Skilled workers in the education and health sectors have fled Zimbabwe
in large numbers to search for better paying jobs in the region and as
far as Britain, United States and Australia.
Opponents of the ageing leader say he has run one of Africas most
promising economies to the ground, through mismanagement,
controversial populist policies and a patronage system that rewards
political loyalties at the expense of competence.
Post published in: Analysis