Morocco has advanced three places in the 2023/2024 Human Development Index, published by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), moving from 123rd globally to 120th. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Human Development Index 2023/2024 ranked Morocco as a country with «medium human development», placing it at 120th globally out of 193 countries. Morocco's score of 0.698 represents a three-point improvement from the previous report, where it ranked 123rd. Titled «Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining Cooperation in a Polarized World», the report ranked countries based on several sub-indicators, including inequality-adjusted human development, gender development, multidimensional poverty, and Planetary pressures-adjusted human development. The report placed Switzerland at the top of the ranking, followed by Norway, Iceland, Hong Kong, and Denmark. Central African Republic, South Sudan, and Somalia occupied the bottom positions. Regionally, the UAE ranked first (17 globally), followed by Bahrain (34 globally), Qatar, Saudi Arabia (40 globally), Kuwait (49 globally), Oman (59 globally), Libya (92 globally), Algeria (93 globally), Jordan (99 globally), Tunisia (101 globally), Egypt (105 globally), Lebanon (109 globally), Palestine (111 globally), and Morocco (111 globally). Uneven progress The report highlights the uneven progress in development, with wealthier nations experiencing significant gains while half of the world's poorest countries haven't recovered from recent crises. This disparity, the report warns, fuels global political polarization and requires urgent collective action. The HDI is expected to reach record levels in 2023 after sharp declines during 2020 and 2021, the report states. «While wealthy countries are showing signs of robust recovery, the poorest are struggling. All wealthy countries have surpassed their 2019 HDI level. But among least developed countries, only one in two have recovered their already low pre-crisis HDI levels», the authors of the report signaled. Reacting to the report, the National Observatory for Human Development (ONDH) celebrated Morocco's progress. The ONDH noted that this is the first time in over a decade that Morocco has improved its ranking by three positions. The report acknowledged «our country's ongoing efforts to address gender-based disparities» but emphasized the need for continued focus on women's access to education, health, and economic opportunities. «This achievement recognizes Morocco's efforts to implement various social programs aligned with the High Royal Vision», the ONDH stated in a press release. «These programs include a comprehensive reform of the health and education systems, universal health coverage, direct social support initiatives, direct housing support, and the introduction of a birth grant».
