- The Social Mobility Report 2020 has been launched and released by the World Economic Forum. The report accesses the path of social mobility around the world. The 2020 report has covered 82 countries. The launch of the report has been done on the occasion the 50th anniversary of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting.
- The report accesses the economies on the basis of their performance on five key dimensions of social mobility distributed over 10 pillars:
- Health
- Education (access, quality and equity, lifelong learning)
- Technology
- Work (opportunities, wages, conditions)
- Protection and Institutions (social protection and inclusive institutions)
Key Findings
- According to the Social Mobility Report 2020, Global momentum is required for tackling inequality through a new social mobility agenda. At present, only a few economies have the right conditions to improve social mobility.
- Denmark is the top country in terms of Social Mobility and has a score of 85.2 out of 100.
- Denmark has been ranked 1st on the Social Protection pillar with a score of 89.8 and on the Technology Access pillar with a score of 94.1.
- Denmark is followed by Norway and Finland at 2nd and 3rd rank in the list.
- Top countries in the list are mostly Nordic economies. Finland is followed by Sweden, Iceland, and the Netherlands at 4th, 5th and 6th positions respectively.
- Switzerland, Austria and Belgium are placed at 7th, 8th and 9th positions respectively.
- Germany has been ranked 11th in the list while France is placed at 12th position.
- As per the report, Low wages, poor lifelong learning systems and lack of social protection are the greatest challenges worldwide.
- Education must be improved to achieve social mobility as it is a powerful pillar.
Top 10 Countries
| Rank | Country | Score out of 100 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denmark | 85.2 |
| 2 | Norway | 83.6 |
| 3 | Finland | 83.6 |
| 4 | Sweden | 83.5 |
| 5 | Iceland | 82.7 |
| 6 | Netherlands | 82.4 |
| 7 | Switzerland | 82.1 |
| 8 | Austria | 80.1 |
| 9 | Belgium | 80.1 |
| 10 | Luxembourg | 79.8 |
India Specific Findings
- India has been ranked 76th out of 82 countries in the Social Mobility Report 2020.
- India has a score of 42.7 out of 100.
- Although there is a decrease in the percentage of people living below poverty there are more areas that are to be improved.
- India has a score of 54.6 on Health pillar due to low life expectancy and low health access and quality performance.
- However, on Education pillar, India has a score of 41.1 on the Education Access pillar and 31.3 on Education Quality and Equity.
- India has the second-highest level of workers in vulnerable employment in the ranking (76.2%). It is only behind Saudi Arabia.
- The country also has a low female labour participation rate (29.8% of the male labour participation).
- Social protection coverage and also its expenditure is low in India (2.68% of GDP).
Questions
Q: 1. Which country has topped the Social Mobility Report 2020?1. Norway
2. France
3. Denmark
4. Iceland
5. Sweden
Answer- 3
Explanation- Denmark has topped the Social Mobility Report 2020 and has a score of 85.2 out of 100.
Q: 2. What is the rank of India in Social Mobility Report 2020?
1. 73rd
2. 52nd
3. 76th
4. 63rd
5. 45th
Answer- 3
Explanation- India has been ranked 76th out of 82 countries in the Social Mobility Report 2020. India has a score of 42.7 out of 100.
Q: 3. Which organisation has released the Social Mobility Report 2020?
1. World Bank
2. United Nations
3. World Economic Forum
4. International Monetary Fund
5. World Trade Organisation
Answer- 3
Explanation- The Social Mobility Report 2020 has been launched and released by the World Economic Forum to access the state of social mobility around the world. The report has covered 82 economies.
