Bishkek, April 22, 2026 /Kabar/. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has released its 2025 Human Development Report titled “A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI,” examining how artificial intelligence could shape the future of global development.
Published annually since 1990, the report finds that human development is losing momentum and becoming increasingly fragile. The global Human Development Index (HDI) is projected to record its smallest increase since its introduction, excluding the crisis years of 2020–2021. The gap between countries with very high and low HDI levels has widened for the fourth consecutive year.
According to the report, without decisive action the world risks entering a prolonged development slowdown. Had pre-2020 trends continued, global progress would be on track to reach very high HDI levels by 2030. However, if current trends persist, this milestone could be delayed by up to three decades.
Despite the slowing progress in human development, people remain hopeful that AI can improve their lives. A global UNDP survey of more than 21,000 people across 21 countries and 36 languages found that about two-thirds of respondents in low, medium and high HDI countries expect to use AI in education, health and work within one year. Six out of ten survey respondents expect AI will positively impact their employment by creating new job opportunities. Most respondents — 64 percent — are confident that AI will make them more productive at work, and this confidence increases as AI use rises.
Kyrgyzstan's HDI value for 2023 is 0.720, placing the country in the High human development category — ranked 117 out of 193 countries and territories. Between 1990 and 2023, Kyrgyzstan's HDI value changed from 0.649 to 0.720, a change of 10.9 percent, reflecting real and sustained progress across health, education and living standards.
At the same time, Kyrgyzstan's Gender Inequality Index (GII) stands at 0.340, ranking it 83rd out of 172 countries, while the Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) value of 98.02 points to persistent social barriers to gender equality. These are areas where deliberate policy choices — including through the responsible deployment of AI — can make a meaningful difference.
The report emphasizes that the impact of AI will depend on policy choices made today. It calls for building a “complementarity economy,” promoting innovation, and investing in human capabilities to ensure technology expands opportunities rather than deepens inequality.
For Kyrgyzstan — a country with a young population, a growing digital economy, and ambitious national development goals under the National Development Programme until 2030 — this moment carries particular significance.