The Human Development Index (HDI) is a composite statistic of three economic indicators. The HDI formed on the basis of these indicators is used to rank countries into four tiers of human development at world level. The HDI is used to prepare a report called Human Development Report (HDR). The concept of Human Development Index was given by Mahbub-Ul-Haq.

He then gathered many others including Indian origin Nobel Prize winner economist Amartya Sen in this work. This team, under United Nations, Development Programme (UNDP), published the first human development Report (HDR) in 1990. This report was prepared on the basis of Human Development Index (HDI). Since then UNDP publishes Human Development Report (HDR) every year. Till 2009, the Human Development Index was formed on the basis of three indicators namely,

1. Life expectancy (Health);
2. Knowledge and
3. Living standard (per capital income).

The HDR was then prepared to based on these economic indicators. After 2010, a new technique was used to develop HDI and hence prepare HDR. Under this technique the three indicators were:

1. Life Expectancy Index (LEI),
2. Educational Index (E) and
3. Income Index (II) (life style).