Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bangkok Post - July 9, 2003
Saritdet Marukatat and Preeyanat Phanayanggoor
The UN Development Programme ranked Thailand at 74 in the world this year, four less than a year ago despite impressive performances in education and economic development.
The agency's report says the main impediment to progress was a shorter life expectancy due to the long-term threat of HIV/Aids.
The UN Population Division moved Thai life expectancy down to 68.9 years, from 70.3 last year.
HDI calculations are based on three criteria - healthy life, knowledge and standard of living.
This year's report tracks the records of 175 countries, with Norway leading and Sierra Leone remaining at the bottom in terms of overall quality of life.
In Southeast Asia, Thailand was fourth behind Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia.
UNDP Millennium Development Goal researcher Parichart Siwaraksa cautioned against being misled by Thailand's lower ranking. "We've improved, but other countries did better than us," she said.
For example, Thailand did well in education enrolments and in the stability of purchasing power.
The agency expressed concern over the impact of Aids on the workforce.
The annual report rates Thailand's efforts to slow the spread of Aids as a success for other countries to emulate, but the condition - first detected in the country in 1984 - still poses a long term danger. Almost 250,000 people have been infected, and one quarter of them have died.
"Given the long time lag between infection and illness, more and more of these people are now falling ill and dying," the report says. "The epidemic is still spreading, albeit slower, and can pick up speed if political commitment and action is not maintained."
Ms Parichart was optimistic about the government's plan to end poverty by 2006. The goal was feasible if economic growth continued and the government could prevent rising debt as a result of its cash injection policies.
The poverty line in Thailand is 922 baht a month for an individual.
Thailand's UNDP deputy representative Hakan Bjorkman said the 2006 timelines should prompt agencies to focus efforts on poverty reduction.
Ending poverty is in line with UN policy. One of the world body's Millennium Development Goals is to halve world poverty by 2015.
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