In the 1985-2007 period, Vietnam’s HDI has increased by 1.16 percent even though its economy saw a steady growth.

The 2009 HDI rankings are based on general criteria related to the quality of life, including life expectancy, literacy, GDP and per capita income.

This year’s HID rankings show that, despite much progress having been made during the past 25 years, differences in the life quality of people in rich and poor countries remain high and unacceptable.

The same day, UNDP in Thailand announced that Norway tops the 2009 HID rankings. The “Top Ten” on the list of the 182 ranked nations are: Norway, Australia, Iceland, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, Switzerland and Japan.

China was noted as achieving great progress in improving people’s living standards while the US dropped one place to 13.