In the HDI ranking of metropolitan areas, Maceió is last.
Data from the Human Development Atlas of metropolitan regions, which places Maceió last in the Human Development Index, also reveal that the capital experienced a 24% growth in its HDI over a decade, and that this increase was greater than that of the three São Paulo regions surveyed, which advanced 11% (Vale do Paraíba and Baixada Santista) and 12% (Campinas); the HDI ranking continues to be led by Greater São Paulo, but now Campinas is in second place, tied with the Federal District.
Alagoas247 - Data released this Wednesday (1st) places Maceió as the last among the 20 regions analyzed in the ranking of the Human Development Index (HDI) of the country's metropolises. The numbers are from the Atlas of Human Development of metropolitan regions, launched last year by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea) and the João Pinheiro Foundation, of the government of Minas Gerais.
The research indicates that the HDI (Human Development Index) of the Benedito Bentes housing complex could be compared to that of Kenya – a constant target of radical groups, the country is one of the poorest on its continent, still facing problems such as famine – while that of Ponta Verde would resemble that of Norway, a European country considered one of the most prosperous in the world. The difference between the regions of the capital, according to the survey, would reach 55%.
Despite coming in last, Maceió experienced a 24% increase in its HDI over a decade. This increase was greater than that of the three other regions in São Paulo state that were also surveyed, which advanced 11% (Vale do Paraíba and Baixada Santista) and 12% (Campinas).
In addition to the HDI, another 200 indicators showed growth in the four metropolitan regions. The Atlas of Metropolises is an extension of a similar study, released in 2013, on the HDI of the 5.565 Brazilian municipalities.
The HDI ranking continues to be led by Greater São Paulo, but now Campinas is in second place, tied with the Federal District. The Paraíba Valley entered the list in 5th place, while the Santos region is in 6th. Maceió came in last, but all metropolitan regions in the country have development considered high by the program.
Inequality
Despite the progress, new data indicates that inequality in the living conditions of residents is also significant in these metropolitan areas. In Maceió, the difference is evident in the comparison between the Ponta Verde and Benedito Bentes neighborhoods. While the former has an index of 0,956, the latter has the same indicator at 0,522.
In a global context, this would be something like the difference between the HDI of Norway (0,944), ranked first in the world, and that of Kenya (0,535), which is ranked 147th. However, the UNDP does not recommend comparing the HDI of regions with that of countries, due to differences in calculation methodology.
However, disparities are not only found in Alagoas. In the four regions included in the Atlas, there are significant differences in the three major sectors of the research. In health, for example, the variation in life expectancy at birth is more than ten years in all four regions.
According to the UNDP, "this means that a child born in a poor area will likely live ten years less than one born in a wealthier neighborhood."
Atlas and HDI
The aforementioned Atlas contained information from 16 regions. Today, however, it includes data from four more: Campinas, Baixada Santista and Vale do Paraíba, in São Paulo, and Maceió, in Alagoas. Together, these regions encompass 79 cities.
The HDI is a composite measure of health, education, and income indicators, on a scale of 0 to 1. The Atlas takes into account the data collected in the 2000 and 2010 Censuses by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
With gazetaweb.com