Conclusion

The DCI brings a new and interesting angle to the global discussion on human development. Despite progress over 20 years, a significant share of people still lives in difficult conditions and faces serious development deficits. Globally, governance is the most pressing challenge followed by sustainability. Regional and country variations, however, are quite remarkable. Two regions, Latin America and the Caribbean and North America, have witnessed worrisome DCI increases over the past decade.

Despite strong correlation with other global development indices such as the SPI, HDI and SDGI, major differences in the DCI’s conceptual framework result in shifting development narratives, especially for oil-rich countries, which lose their traditionally high rankings. At the same time, in spotlighting the most developmentally challenged countries, the DCI is a step towards mobilizing more concerted efforts to overcome their destitution and extreme deprivation. As future progress appears much easier after reaching a medium score on the DCI, focusing first on those left behind would mean the world at large will be more likely to realize its common development agenda.