The BCI uses an alternative methodology to register the progress – or lack of progress – towards compliance with the Millennium Development Goals. This index constitutes a new methodology that complements in numerous respects the human development indexes most commonly used.
To reach an acceptable BCI does not imply a high level of social development. It merely signifies that the country has achieved universal coverage of minimum essential needs that are a prerequisite for advancing towards greater wellbeing. It is a departure point, not a destination.
 | Basic Capabilities Index: a starting point |  | More effort required from the weakest |  | All Quiet on the Poverty Front |  | Evolution by countries and regions |
