Ba Ria – Vung Tau leads the country in terms of average income

The Human Development Index (HDI) report published by the General Statistics Office on March 30 assessed the HDI of the whole country and 63 provinces and cities based on three criteria: health, education and income. . To calculate the index of per capita income of each locality, the General Statistics Office based on the gross national income (GNI) per capita according to purchasing power parity, which is converted into US dollars.

According to the ranking, of the 10 localities with the highest per capita income in the country in 2020, 5 provinces and cities in the Red River Delta include Hanoi, Vinh Phuc, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh and Hai Phong. 4 localities in the Southeast region include Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ba Ria – Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City.

In this top 10, Thai Nguyen is the only locality located in the Northern midland and mountainous region, with a per capita income of $12,960, equal to one third of the leading locality Ba Ria – Vung Tau. .

In contrast, in the 10 localities with the lowest per capita income in 2020, there are 8 provinces in the Northern Midlands and Mountains, one in the Central Highlands and one in the Mekong Delta.

The income gap between the lowest locality in Ha Giang and the highest in Lang Son in this group is approximately $2,000. This is also a group with many ethnic minorities living with difficult socio-economic conditions.

Regarding the GNI growth rate, some localities with high growth rates in the period 2016-2020 are Hai Phong, Ninh Thuan 1.74 times, Thanh Hoa 1.66 times, Quang Ninh 1.61 times, Lao Cai 1 times, 57 times.

On a national scale, GNI per capita in 2016 was more than $6,211; in 2020 is 8,132 USD. The growth rate for the period 2016-2020 of the whole country is 130%, or approximately 7% per year.

Compared with other countries in the region, Vietnam’s GNI per capita is only higher than Myanmar, Timor Leste and Cambodia. In 2019, Singapore’s GNI per capita reached more than 88,000 USD, 11.2 times higher than Vietnam; Brunei reached 64,000 USD, 8.2 times higher; Malaysia reached $ 27,600, 3 times more. Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines are also higher than Vietnam with a difference of 1.2-2.3 times.

Looking at the indicators, economic expert Vo Tri Thanh said that the localities in the top in terms of per capita income all possess many advantages in economic development, especially in the trade and industry sectors. , services and tourism, the growth rate is very high.

For example, Ba Ria – Vung Tau has great benefits from oil and gas, industry and domestic revenue; Binh Duong and Bac Ninh are both major industrial centers of the country, attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). Or Quang Ninh besides mineral resources, the service sector is also focused, bringing great benefits.

However, when looking more closely at the calculation of average income by gross product (GDP) divided by per capita, Mr. Thanh noted that this index does not closely reflect the actual income of people in that locality. For example, Ba Ria – Vung Tau has a very high GDP per capita, but the actual income of the locality is not so high.

“HDI is based on both health and education criteria, localities with large incomes may not necessarily have a higher human development index than localities with lower incomes, if the index of access to health and education is low.” Mr. Thanh analyzed.

This expert said that while focusing on growth, localities should pay more attention to improving the business investment environment, reforming administrative procedures, improving people’s quality of life, public services, health care, etc. Only education can achieve high rankings on the national HDI table.

Son Ha