KHATMANDU: Nepal’s ranking improved five points and secured 22nd place among 74 emerging economies in the IDI, taking the lead in terms of inclusive growth in the entire South Asian region. The 2018 index has analysed the progress in inclusive growth of 103 economies of the world on the basis of overall growth and development, inclusion and inter-generational equity. The IDI has measured the inclusive growth progress by dividing the economies into two groups advanced economies and emerging economies.
As per the report, India’s ranking slipped two spots to stand at 62nd in the IDI while Pakistan improved its standing from 52nd in 2017 to 47th place in IDI 2018. Similarly, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka ranked at 34th and 40th in the IDI 2018, against 36th and 39th positions in IDI 2017, respectively. Nepal was able to obtain a score of 4.15 this year, positioning the country in the range between ‘slowly advancing’ and ‘rapidly advancing’ among the countries grouped together in the emerging economies category. Meanwhile, Lithuania has topped the emerging economies’ chart in IDI this year, receiving 4.86 IDI score. The other top inclusive emerging economies include Hungary, Azerbaijan, Latvia and Poland. Norway, on the other hand, has retained its spot as the world’s most advanced economy obtaining 6.08 IDI mark.