Malaysia ranks 64 in human development, same as Libya and Serbia

The UNDP noted that the average Malaysian was now living seven years longer, had furthered his schooling by five more years and had seen his gross income raised by about 191 per cent. — file picKUALA LUMPUR, March 15 — The average Malaysian has a longer life expectancy, is better educated and earns more money but the country was still ranked only 64th out of 187 nations in the latest United Nations Human Development Index (HDI), tied with Libya and Serbia, which are still picking up the pieces years after internal strife tore apart both countries.
Southeast Asia’s third-biggest economy lagged behind neighbouring Singapore (ranked 13th) and even tiny Brunei (30th) in the 2012 index, which measures a country’s progress based on three key areas — life expectancy, its access to knowledge and standard of living—but ahead of regional giants Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia which placed 103, 114 and 121 respectively.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in its Human Development Report 2013 released today said Malaysia’s scored 0.769 points, which was better than the global average of 0.758 points, putting it in the high human development group.
It noted the ranking had improved slightly when pitted against its 2011 rank at 61st spot out of 187 countries, but added that comparisons should not be made as the UNDP had revised its methodology.
The UNDP noted that the average Malaysian was now living seven years longer, had furthered his schooling by five more years and had seen his gross income raised by about 191 per cent.
The UN agency also reported that Malaysia had far to go when it came to equal opportunities for women as compared to men.
In its latest Gender Inequality Index, Malaysia ranked 42 out of 148 countries surveyed last year.
While it performed better than Thailand (66), the Philippines (77) and Indonesia (106), the country again trailed Singapore which placed 13 in the chart that graded countries based on the level of women’s empowerment, their economic activity and their reproductive health.
While women make up half of Malaysia’s 13.1 million-strong registered voters, according to the latest statistics from the country’s election regulator, the UNDP noted that women formed only 13.2 per cent of the elected lawmakers in Parliament.
Political analysts and observers, however, noted that women and young voters form a significant voting block that could decide which party wins the 13th general elections due just weeks away.
The UNDP also reported that women made up 43.8 per cent of the workforce for Malaysia, showing men still dominated the labour market.
In education, 66 per cent of adult women graduated from secondary school compared to 72.8 per cent of their male counterparts.
And according to the UNDP, 29 Malaysian women died from pregnancy-related problems for every 100,000 who delivered their babies safely.