When countries were classified in 1990 by their status in the United Nations Human Development Index (an index of income, literacy and health), high-development countries achieved robust and stable economic growth during 1990-98, with average growth rates of around 2.3% a year and with 35 out of 36 countries enjoying rising living standards.

ECONOMIST: By invitation

On the United Nations Development Programme's human-development index, Nepal comes 140th out of 177 countries.

ECONOMIST: Nepal: Himalayan horrors | The

Indeed, the United Nations has developed a measure of quality of life called the Human Development Index ( UN HDI).

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