The Human Development Index 2022 pointed out today’s global society lives in a “back-to-back crisis” scenario.

For the first time in its 32-year history, the UNDP Human Development Index — which measures a nation’s health, education, and standard of living — has declined for two years in a row, with human development globally falling back to 2016 levels.

Latin America, the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have been hit particularly hard, while European countries appear to be less badly affected.

The latest edition of the report, which came out on Thursday, highlighted the “devastating impact” of the last two years for billions of people around the world, with the global Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, sweeping social and economic shifts, and dangerous planetary changes.

“The world is scrambling to respond to back-to-back crises. We have seen with the cost of living and energy crises that, while it is tempting to focus on quick fixes like subsidizing fossil fuels, immediate relief tactics are delaying the long-term systemic changes we must make,” said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator. “We are collectively paralyzed in making these changes.”

“In a world defined by uncertainty, we need a renewed sense of global solidarity to tackle our interconnected, common challenges,” he added.

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