The concept of human development was introduced by Pakistani economist Dr. Mahbub ul Haq. He developed this concept in the 1970s while working at the World Bank and later as Pakistan's finance minister. Dr. Haq argued that traditional measures of development, such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), failed to capture the true purpose of development, which is to improve people's lives and freedoms
. Working with Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen and other economists, Dr. Haq published the first Human Development Report in 1990, commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This report introduced a new approach to development focused on expanding people's capabilities and choices, emphasizing health, education, and a decent standard of living as central to human development
. Thus, Dr. Mahbub ul Haq is credited with introducing the modern concept of human development, with significant contributions from Amartya Sen in developing the capability approach that underpins it
