A Revised Human Development Index (RHDI) for Sudan : An Empirical Study

This paper aims to measure human development in the Sudan during the period 1975- 2003, using a Revised Human Development Index (RHDI). The main argument of the paper is that the conventional Human Development Index (HDI) underestimates Sudan’s human development achievements scored during the last two decades, hence calling for a revised index. Results showed that there is a significant difference between human development performance in Sudan using the conventional HDI and the RHDI. Sudan had scored significant progress in the RHDI amounting to 4.5% per annum during the period 1975-2003, rising from 0.26 in 1975 to 0.62 in 2003. This has been contrasted with an average growth of 2.2% per annum, from 0.34 to 0.45 for the same period, using the HDI. The reforms introduced by the government have contributed positively in this progress