South Korea has ranked 30th out of 175 nations on a U-N Human Development Index, which measures nations' progress in society and economy. The HDI is a composite measure of living standards that comprises life expectancy, educational attainment and income per capita. The U-N Development Program issued the rankings in its Human Development Report on Tuesday. Also according to the report, the number of Chinas poorest has significantly declined by half in the past decade, attributable to that countrys remarkable economic growth and improved employment among the proletarian class. The report said that some one-hundred-50 million Chinese had overcome extreme poverty as of 2000.