Overview
- The Himachal Pradesh Human Development Report 2025, released by the chief minister with UNDP, is India’s first state HDR to integrate climate vulnerability into human development metrics.
- Himachal’s HDI stands at 0.78 versus the national 0.63, with literacy at 99.3%, infant mortality at 21 per 1,000 births, life expectancy at 72 years, and poverty below 7%.
- The report attributes about ₹46,000 crore in recent disaster losses to escalating hazards, citing 2025 monsoon data of 47 cloudbursts, 98 flash floods, 148 major landslides and 270 deaths.
- Risk indicators include roughly 70% of traditional water sources under duress, forest fires rising from 856 in 2022–23 to 2,580 in 2024–25, and glacial lakes in the Sutlej basin increasing from 562 in 2019 to 1,048 in 2023 with heightened GLOF risk in Kullu and Kinnaur.
- Climate‑adjusted rankings place Kinnaur, Lahaul & Spiti and Chamba at the top, as officials point to EV and solar schemes, green budgeting and local, equity‑focused action to build resilience.