Cambodia’s quality of life compared to other countries improved slightly in rank in the UN Development Program’s annual Human Development Report, and now ranks 130 out of 173 countries—sandwiched between Ghana and Vanuatu.
The “Human Development Report 2002: Deepening Democracy in a Fragmented World,” released Wednesday, rates countries’ quality of life based on life expectancy, education and income statistics. Vietnam ranked 109, Laos 143 and Thailand 70. Cambodia was ranked 132 in last year’s UNDP report.
Determined from available data from 2000, Cambodia’s ranking places it almost at the bottom of the medium ranking category. Cambodia has progressed since 1990, the first year of the report, when it ranked rock bottom out of 135 countries.
Cambodia should take pride in the progress that has been mad, but “much more work needs to be done,” Ministry of Finance Deputy Secretary-General Hang Chuon Naron said.
The theme in this year’s report focuses on “the idea that politics are as important to successful development as economics,” UNDP Resident Representative Dominique McAdams said.
“There is a persistent conviction that a crisis of governance is responsible for inefficient public services, widespread corruption and a host of other government failures,” she said.
Cambodia appears to be on target for halving the number of people suffering from hunger by 2015, the report stated. The report indicated female school enrollment and the infant mortality rate is not improving.
Data was not available on other UNDP criteria, including the percentage of children who reach the fifth grade.
and people who lack clean water.
