Entitled “Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today: inequalities in human development in the 21st Century”, the UNDP’s flagship Human Development Report 2019 brings new approaches to measuring progress beyond economic growth alone.

The report notes that middle-income countries in Europe and Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, face pressing challenges exacerbated by existing inequalities such as shrinking middle class, high levels of informal and vulnerable employment, gaps in social protection, emigration of skilled and young workers, and perceptions of inequality before the law. 

According to the report, the region has achieved higher living standards than ever before. Despite this, climate change and technological disruption, if unchecked, could slow down efforts to reduce inequalities.