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The HDI measures the average progress of a country in human development. The Human Poverty Index for developing countries (HPI-1), focuses on the proportion of people below a threshold level in the same dimensions of human development as the human development index - living a long and healthy life, having access to education, and a decent standard of living. By looking beyond income deprivation, the HPI-1 represents a multi-dimensional alternative to the $1 a day (PPP US$) poverty measure. The HPI-1 measures severe deprivation in health by the proportion of people who are not expected to survive age 40. Education is measured by the adult illiteracy rate. And a decent standard of living is measured by the unweighted average of people without access to an improved water source and the proportion of children under age 5 who are underweight for their age. Table 1 shows the values for these variables for Bangladesh and compares them to other countries.

Table 1: Selected indicators of human poverty for Bangladesh
Human Poverty Index (HPI-1) 2004	Probability of not surviving past age 40 (%) 2004	Adult illiteracy rate (%ages 15 and older) 2004	People without access to an improved water source (%) 2004	Children underweight for age (% ages 0-5) 2004
1. Chad (56.9)	1. Zimbabwe (57.4)	1. Burkina Faso (76.4)	1. Ethiopia (7	1. Nepal (4
14. Timor-Leste (41.	50. Lao People’s Democratic Republic (16.6)	10. Senegal (60.7)	42. Malawi (27)	2. Bangladesh (4
15. Gambia (40.9)	51. Guyana (16.6)	11. Bhutan (53.0)	43. Rwanda (26)	3. India (47)
16. Bangladesh (40.5)	52. Bangladesh (16.4)	12. Bangladesh (52.5)	44. Bangladesh (26)	4. Yemen (46)
17. Côte d’Ivoire (40.3)	53. Turkmenistan (16.2)	13. Central African Republic (51.4)	45. Ghana (25)	5. Timor-Leste (46)
18. Zimbabwe (40.3)	54. Solomon Islands (16.1)	14. Nepal (51.4)	46. Central African Republic (25)	6. Burundi (45)
108. Barbados (3.0)	173. Iceland (1.4)	164. Estonia (0.2)	125. Hungary (1)	134. Chile (1)

Table 2: Selected indicators of human poverty of Bangladesh in comparison with the SAARC countries
Human Poverty Index (HPI-1) 2004	Probability of not surviving past age 40 (%) 2004		Adult illiteracy rate (%ages 15 and older) 2004	People without access to an improved water source (%) 2004	Children underweight for age (% ages 0-5) 2004
16. Bangladesh (40.5)		52. Bangladesh (16.4)	12. Bangladesh (52.5)	44. Bangladesh (26)	2. Bangladesh(4
23. Bhutan (38.9)		48. Bhutan (16.	11. Bhutan (53.0)	32. Bhutan (3	50. Bhutan (19)
25. Nepal (38.1)		46. Nepal (17.4)	14. Nepal (51.4)	86. Nepal (10)	1. Nepal (4
47. India (31.3)		49. India (16.	26. India (39.0)	76. India (14)	3. India(47)
65. Sri Lanka (17.		94. Sri Lanka (7.2)	85. Sri Lanka (9.3)	57. Sri Lanka (21)	25. Sri Lanka (29)
67. Maldives (17.0)		64. Maldives (12.1)	108. Maldives (3.7)	64. Maldives (17)	23. Maldives (30)

In comparison with the SAARC countries, the poorest country is Bangladesh in contrast to our common perception. Survival probably is best in Sri Lanka though the country is under civil war for long. Illiteracy is highest in Bangladesh though Government and many NGOs are working in the field. State of sanitation is also worst except Bhutan. Percentage of undernourished children is astonishingly same and high in Bangladesh, Nepal and India at 48%.

(From UN Human Development Report 2007-08)

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