DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic continues to enjoy a high Human Development Index (HDI), despite a slight dip in life expectancy at birth, according to the latest Human Development Report 2025 released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Globally, the HDI has slowed to its lowest level in 35 years, raising concerns among UNDP officials. “This unexpected decline is a cause for alarm and requires further investigation,” said Yancun Zhang, UNDP chief statistician.

The report shows the Dominican Republic’s HDI experienced a temporary setback between 2020 and 2021, followed by a significant rebound in 2022. While the index dropped slightly by 0.002 in 2023, reaching 0.754 in 2024, the country still ranks highly compared to previous years.

However, life expectancy at birth registered a minor decline, prompting UNDP experts to call for an investigation due...