DEVELOPMENT

equal dimensions (see, for example, the OECD’s Better
Life Index: http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/). In addition
to its ideological suitability, the HDI’s popularity and
authority are increased by the fact that an authoritative
UN sub-organisation (UNDP) is in charge of the constant
updating of the indicators. Thus, the UN Human Development
Index has become an estimable instrument of
policymaking.
1.1.2.
Two decades in the mirror of human
development
The Human Development Index has also become a means
of introspection for Estonia. Twenty years is a long enough
period of time for drawing conclusions about Estonia’s
human development in the global context. Table 1.1.1
shows the change in Estonia’ rankings based on the HDI
values that have been recalculated based on the changes
in methodology made in 2010.
Estonia’s 24th position in 1990 may not be very
comparable with the others due to the nature of the
economy at the time and the quality of the statistical data
reflecting it. We can also state that in the early 2000s
we underwent strong development, and thereafter, have
remained around 30 th in the world. Our position has been
shifted backward in the last few years primarily because
Singapore, as well as Liechtenstein and Andorra, were
recently (2009 and 2010, respectively) added the countries
monitored by the UNDP, and they are ranked ahead
of us in the HDI.
Estonia’s HDI value for 2012 is 0.846, which places
us 33 rd position, along with Andorra, compared to 187
countries and territories (Table 1.1.2).
Table 1.1.3 shows that in the period between 1990
and 2012, Estonia has made noteworthy progress in all
the indicators that form the basis for calculating the HDI
according to the current method, as well as in regard
to the HDI values. Estonia’s life expectancy at birth has
increased 5.6 years, the means years of schooling 2.7
years and the gross national income per capita by 71%.
1.1.3.
Trends and prospects
The UN Human Development Index time-series data,
encompassing, by now, more than 20 years, allows
countries to be compared on the basis of the dynamics
of human development indicators. The HDI’s change
curves in time express the speed and uniformity of the
achievement of success and the impact of sporadic setbacks.
If, in the promotion of human development, we
wish to learn from the achievements of other countries,
it makes sense to look for countries that are, more or
less, similar to us, and have demonstrated relatively
rapid human development. Firstly, in this way, we can
place ourselves in yet another system of references, and
assess our success among those similar to us. Secondly,
it would be worthwhile to choose countries whose economic
and social policies we could analyse and assess
more closely from the aspect of possibly adapting certain
elements of their system of functioning.
Table 1.1.3
Changes in Estonia’s human development index and its
basic indicators, 1990-2012
Life expectancy
at birth (years)
Mean years of
schooling (years)
Expected years of
schooling (years)
Gross national income
(GNI) per capita
(2005 PPP US dollars)
Human
development index
1990 69.4 9.3 12.8 10,181 0.728
2000 70.2 11.7 15.0 11,137 0.786
2005 72.7 11.9 16.1 15,920 0.830
2010 74.6 12.0 15.8 15,788 0.839
2011 74.8 12.0 15.8 16,980 0.844
2012 75.0 12.0 15.8 17,402 0.846
Source: UNDP 2013
Below, the dynamics of Estonia’s human development
has first been compared to the averages of the group of
countries that have, according to the HDI, very high and
high human development levels, and thereafter, with
selected reference countries. This group of so-called
“reference countries” consists of successful small countries
from various regions of the world, whose cultural
background and level of development generally do not
differ greatly from ours. These are:
• from Central and Eastern Europe – Slovakia, the
Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia;
• from Western and Northern Europe – Ireland, Switzerland,
the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland;
• from the rest of the world – New Zealand, South
Korea, Chile, Uruguay and Costa Rica.
Based on the database of the 2013 global Human Development
Report, graphs have been compiled that show
the Estonian trends in comparison to the given countries,
based on the HDI and its three sub-indices. In order to
make the diagrams easier to read, a limited selection of
the reference countries is included on each diagram.
Between 1990 and 2012, Estonia, in the HDI comparison
with countries with a very high as well as with
a high level of human development, has increased faster
than the average, and has therefore approached the average
of countries with a very high level of development
(Figure 1.1.1).
In Figure 1.1.2, the development of Estonia’s human
development index is compared to the fastest developers
in the groups of reference countries. Compared to the
reference countries in Central and Eastern Europe, the
speed of Estonia’s development was comparable to that
of Slovenia, the leader of the group. In comparison to the
Western and Northern European countries, the pace of
Estonia’s development has been comparable to that of Ireland,
the leader of this group of countries. However, hav-
10
Estonian Human Development Report 2012/2013