BETTER, but could improve further. That is the verdict on Myanmar’s progress in human development, as measured by the latest United Nations Human Development Report, which measures a range of indicators of economic and social progress.

The report placed Myanmar at number 138 on the list of the 182 countries surveyed, reflecting a rise from a rating of 0.492 to 0.586 over two decades. The report’s calculations are based on living standards, life expectancy and education.

“Compared with other ASEAN member countries, Myanmar’s growth rate is not particularly fast and can be improved,” Mr Toshihiro Tanaka, the acting UNDP resident representative, said at a ceremony to present the report in Yangon last month.

He said Myanmar was now in the middle range of human development, but still behind Singapore (23rd on the list), Thailand (87th), the Philippines (105th), Vietnam (116th), Laos (133rd) and Cambodia (137th).

But the report did state that Myanmar received a very low amount of Official Development Assistance (ODA) compared with other ASEAN countries. The report said Laos received US$68 (net disbursements per capita), while Cambodia received $46, Vietnam $29, Philippines $7 and Myanmar only $4 in 2007.

Mr Tanaka said Myanmar ranked 135 out of 179 countries in last year’s report, three points higher than in 2007 when three more countries were listed.

The index used in the report looks at whether citizens enjoy a long and healthy life (measured by life expectancy), access to education (measured by adult literacy and gross enrolment in education) and a decent standard of living (measured by purchasing power parity).

Mr Tanaka said the 2009 report also looked at migration, which can bring large gains for human and economic development for the countries of origin.

According to the report, nearly a billion people are on the move, of whom 700 million are migrating within their own countries and 195 million relocating overseas.

“In 2007, US$125 million in remittance were sent to Myanmar,” said the report. The immediate beneficiaries are family members but also the local economy.

The report encourages governments to lower barriers to movement in order to reduce the risk of human trafficking associated with illegal migration.