UNDP reports life expectancy & income growth stalling and number of conflicts rising

By  News On Air   May 06, 2025

A United Nations report has stated that the progress in global development slowed in 2024, raising concerns that the gains in recent years may be slipping.

According to the annual Human Development Index (HDI) report released today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), despite the rebound seen after the COVID-19 pandemic by 2023, the recovery is now losing momentum with life expectancy and income growth stalling and the number of ongoing conflicts rising.

UNDP chief Achim Steiner warned that this unsettling slowdown can cause human development to slip by decades, making the world less secure, more divided, and more vulnerable to economic and ecological shocks.

Mr Steiner said that recent cuts to international aid by several countries, led by the United States under President Donald Trump, will only serve to make the ramifications more severe.