Abstract
In 2000, the United Nations adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of eight global development goals to be achieved between 2000 and 2015. We estimated the Lorenz Curve and Gini Index for determining any changes in inequality at the global level with countries as a unit of analysis for eight development indicators (proportion of population undernourished, school enrollment rates, the percentage of women in parliament, infant mortality rates, maternal mortality rates, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) rates, access to improved water sources, and access to a cellular device), representing one MDG each. All of the selected indicators improved on average between 2000 and 2015. An average improvement in an indicator does not necessarily imply a decrease in inequality. For instance, the average infant mortality rate decreased from 39.17 deaths per 1000 births in 2000 to 23.40 in 2015, but the Gini Index remained almost stable over the same period, suggesting no reduction in inequality among countries. For other indicators, inequality among countries decreased at varying rates. A significant data gap existed across countries. For example, only 91 countries had data on primary school enrollment rates in 2000 and 2015. We emphasize developing a global data collection and analysis protocol for measuring the impacts of global development programs, especially in reducing inequality across social, economic, and environmental indicators. This study will feed into currently enacted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for ensuring more inclusive and equitable growth worldwide.
Highlights
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were a set of eight global development goals adopted by the United Nations (UN), where each goal had a subset of targets and specific indicators for measuring the attainment status of goals at the national level during the 15-year (2000 to 2015)implementation period (United Nations 2015a)
The average infant mortality rate decreased from 39.17 deaths per 1000 births in 2000 to 23.4 in 2015, and the average maternal mortality rate decreased from 270.85 deaths per 100,000 births in 2000 to 168.7 in 2015
This paper focuses on the average progress and worldwide inequality using data on eight development indicators before and after the 15-year implementation period of the MDGs
Summary
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were a set of eight global development goals adopted by the United Nations (UN), where each goal had a subset of targets and specific indicators for measuring the attainment status of goals at the national level during the 15-year (2000 to 2015)implementation period (United Nations 2015a). The development indicators given by the UN mostly consider levels of inequality within countries In this context, this study analyzes the progress made during the implementation phase of the MDGs at the global level based on an analysis that uses country-level data for eight selected development indicators. The results of our study are crucial for comparing the average success to the success related to reducing inequality among countries for an MDG indicator, thereby giving us a better understanding of disparities among countries relative to their geographical locations and income status. This understanding will optimize resources for achieving
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