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HDI Tier

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Human Development Index (HDI) by Country 2024

Snapshot

  • The HDI measures countries' achievements in health, education, and standard of living, showing a global upward trend but recent declines due to COVID-19.

  • Countries with high HDI scores, like Switzerland and Norway, exhibit stable governments, quality education and healthcare, and strong economies.

  • Least-developed countries, with low HDI scores, face challenges like unstable governments, poverty, and lack of healthcare and education.

The Human Development Index, or HDI, is a metric compiled by the United Nations Development Programme and used to quantify a country's "average achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living." The HDI was first launched in 1990 and has been released annually ever since, with the exceptions of 2012 and 2020/21. While HDI tends to trend upward globally over time, more than 90% of the 191 countries analyzed for the 2021/22 HDI report suffered a decline in overall HDI in either 2020 or 2021. These declines were largely attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and its lingering effects.

A country's Human Development Index value is determined by aggregating the country's scores in a vast assortment of indicators including life expectancy, literacy rate, rural populations' access to electricity, GDP per capita, exports and imports, homicide rate, multidimensional poverty index, income inequality, internet availability, and many more. These indicators are compiled into a single number between 0 and 1.0, with 1.0 being the highest possible human development. HDI is divided into four tiers: very high human development (0.8-1.0), high human development (0.7-0.79), medium human development (0.55-.70), and low human development (below 0.55).

Countries with the Highest Human Development Index (HDI)

Country
HDI 2022
Switzerland0.967
Norway0.966
Iceland0.959
Hong Kong0.956
Sweden0.952
Denmark0.952
Germany0.950
Ireland0.950
Singapore0.949
Australia0.946

Most developed countries have an HDI score of 0.8 or above, landing them in the very high human development tier. These countries have stable governments, widespread affordable education and healthcare, high life expectancies and quality of life, and growing, powerful economies.

In contrast to this are the world's least-developed countries (LDCs), which tend to have HDI scores below 0.55, in the "low human development" category. LDCs face unstable governments, widespread poverty, lack of access to healthcare, and poor education. Additionally, these countries have low income and low life expectancies, coupled with high birth rates. This illustrates the fundamental purpose of the HDI: to help the United Nations determine which countries (especially which least-developed countries) are most in need of assistance.

10 Countries with the Lowest Human Development Index (HDI)

Country
HDI 2022
Somalia0.380
South Sudan0.381
Central African Republic0.387
Niger0.394
Chad0.394
Mali0.410
Burundi0.420
Yemen0.424
Burkina Faso0.438
Sierra Leone0.458

Emerging concerns in the Human Development Index 2021/22

The 2021/22 version of the HDI report outlined what it called an emerging "new uncertainty complex", in which three rising factors – widespread and intensifying politcal and societal polarization, dangerous planetary climate change, and sweeping societal industrial transformation (such as increasing automation) – were generating new and unpredictable types of uncertainty. The report offers the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 war in Ukraine as example manifestations of this new uncertainty complex.

192 Rows

Country
HDI Tier
HDI 2022
HDI 2021
HDI 2020
HDI 2019
HDI 2010
HDI 2000
HDI 1990
United StatesVery High0.9270.9210.9230.9330.9160.8940.875
RussiaVery High0.8210.8180.8260.8390.7970.7330.741
JapanVery High0.9200.9200.9170.9180.9030.8830.846
TurkeyVery High0.8550.8410.8350.8420.7500.6690.598
GermanyVery High0.9500.9480.9480.9510.9290.8900.828
ThailandVery High0.8030.7970.8000.8010.7430.6630.581
United KingdomVery High0.9400.9310.9200.9330.9130.8630.804
FranceVery High0.9100.9060.9000.9050.8800.8440.790
ItalyVery High0.9060.8990.8920.8990.8800.8420.780
South KoreaVery High0.9290.9260.9220.9220.8900.8240.731
SpainVery High0.9110.9040.8940.9040.8680.8280.762
ArgentinaVery High0.8490.8440.8410.8530.8340.7800.724
CanadaVery High0.9350.9340.9280.9320.9110.8900.861
PolandVery High0.8810.8760.8740.8800.8450.7940.715
MalaysiaVery High0.8070.7980.8020.8050.7680.7260.649
Saudi ArabiaVery High0.8750.8670.8610.8620.8050.7460.699
AustraliaVery High0.9460.9490.9480.9410.9240.8960.864
KazakhstanVery High0.8020.8010.8060.8100.7660.6800.672
ChileVery High0.8600.8560.8490.8590.8130.7630.705
RomaniaVery High0.8270.8250.8280.8340.8130.7210.709
NetherlandsVery High0.9460.9410.9380.9410.9170.8920.847
BelgiumVery High0.9420.9380.9300.9360.9130.8840.814
United Arab EmiratesVery High0.9370.9310.9300.9330.8280.7900.717
Czech RepublicVery High0.8950.8910.8910.8960.8720.8100.748
SwedenVery High0.9520.9490.9440.9470.9100.9030.808
PortugalVery High0.8740.8650.8610.8640.8310.7930.703
GreeceVery High0.8930.8870.8870.8900.8740.8180.762
HungaryVery High0.8510.8460.8490.8540.8290.7730.721
IsraelVery High0.9150.9110.9060.9090.8870.8350.781
AustriaVery High0.9260.9200.9160.9200.9030.8700.823
BelarusVery High0.8010.8010.8000.8100.7900.708
SwitzerlandVery High0.9670.9650.9570.9600.9400.8850.850
Hong KongVery High0.9560.9590.9550.9530.9140.8310.739
SerbiaVery High0.8050.8040.8060.8120.7680.689
DenmarkVery High0.9520.9470.9460.9460.9130.8900.839
SingaporeVery High0.9490.9420.9420.9450.9210.8630.780
FinlandVery High0.9420.9410.9390.9390.9120.8870.811
NorwayVery High0.9660.9640.9630.9610.9380.9140.845
SlovakiaVery High0.8550.8520.8600.8630.8410.761
OmanVery High0.8190.8100.8230.8410.7980.702
IrelandVery High0.9500.9460.9450.9420.9080.8510.743
New ZealandVery High0.9390.9360.9350.9370.9240.8940.812
Costa RicaVery High0.8060.8040.8110.8110.7690.7090.659
KuwaitVery High0.8470.8360.8260.8380.8110.7800.698
PanamaVery High0.8200.8130.8090.8200.7750.7220.672
CroatiaVery High0.8780.8670.8600.8660.8240.764
GeorgiaVery High0.8140.8090.8070.8160.7630.694
UruguayVery High0.8300.8140.8200.8180.7850.7540.702
QatarVery High0.8750.8640.8630.8690.8290.7930.764
LithuaniaVery High0.8790.8750.8800.8860.8460.7690.740
SloveniaVery High0.9260.9160.9100.9180.8900.823
LatviaVery High0.8790.8650.8730.8730.8270.7610.732
BahrainVery High0.8880.8840.8840.8880.8070.7750.733
Trinidad and TobagoVery High0.8140.8040.8150.8130.7850.7080.656
EstoniaVery High0.8990.8900.8910.8930.8640.7980.741
CyprusVery High0.9070.9010.9000.9010.8590.7970.733
LuxembourgVery High0.9270.9270.9210.9250.9120.8640.793
MontenegroVery High0.8440.8400.8320.8410.806
MaltaVery High0.9150.9120.9010.9050.8620.7790.726
BruneiVery High0.8230.8240.8270.8270.8250.7890.779
BahamasVery High0.8200.7990.7980.8020.8000.7880.760
IcelandVery High0.9590.9570.9550.9580.9270.8950.834
BarbadosVery High0.8090.8030.8030.8060.7920.7600.728
SeychellesVery High0.8020.7950.7990.8080.7740.755
Antigua and BarbudaVery High0.8260.8190.8200.8310.808
AndorraVery High0.8840.8550.8430.8650.8630.815
Saint Kitts and NevisVery High0.8380.8320.8320.8380.790
LiechtensteinVery High0.9420.9360.9330.9400.9160.871
San MarinoVery High0.8670.8530.8440.8610.9010.8750.841
IndiaMedium0.6440.6330.6380.6380.5720.4900.434
BangladeshMedium0.6700.6620.6570.6460.5580.4910.399
KenyaMedium0.6010.5960.5990.6040.5450.4870.480
MyanmarMedium0.6080.5990.6150.6080.5060.4070.333
UgandaMedium0.5500.5450.5450.5440.5000.3920.329
IraqMedium0.6730.6670.6610.6780.6290.5830.497
MoroccoMedium0.6980.6880.6830.6840.6040.5250.448
AngolaMedium0.5910.5900.5940.5970.5160.380
GhanaMedium0.6020.6000.6010.5990.5710.5000.445
NepalMedium0.6010.5910.5930.5980.5430.4610.395
CameroonMedium0.5870.5810.5850.5860.5150.4260.440
VenezuelaMedium0.6990.6900.6910.7200.7590.6990.657
SyriaMedium0.5570.5580.5610.5640.6610.5870.563
ZambiaMedium0.5690.5650.5690.5740.5280.4180.417
GuatemalaMedium0.6290.6300.6380.6450.6130.5510.490
CambodiaMedium0.6000.5960.5960.5960.5420.4310.379
ZimbabweMedium0.5500.5490.5540.5600.4810.4260.479
BoliviaMedium0.6980.6910.6910.7150.6610.6250.546
HaitiMedium0.5520.5510.5570.5590.4490.4850.441
HondurasMedium0.6240.6200.6210.6290.5960.5530.513
TajikistanMedium0.6790.6770.6560.6680.6310.5480.616
Papua New GuineaMedium0.5680.5640.5670.5620.4970.4560.394
LaosMedium0.6200.6150.6160.6170.5570.4730.408
NicaraguaMedium0.6690.6650.6520.6610.6110.5630.487
El SalvadorMedium0.6740.6690.6660.6760.6570.6090.519
NamibiaMedium0.6100.6160.6340.6380.5840.5490.595
GabonMedium0.6930.6870.7040.7020.6560.6260.599
Equatorial GuineaMedium0.6500.6470.6500.6530.6090.511
Timor LesteMedium0.5660.5740.6330.6270.6390.495
EswatiniMedium0.6100.6120.6220.6230.4980.4650.546
ComorosMedium0.5860.5850.5880.5840.5240.458
Solomon IslandsMedium0.5620.5640.5660.5680.5530.488
BhutanMedium0.6810.6770.6750.6680.582
SurinameMedium0.6900.6890.7020.7100.696
Cape VerdeMedium0.6610.6500.6490.6670.6490.590
VanuatuMedium0.6140.6140.6120.6140.578
Sao Tome and PrincipeMedium0.6130.6090.6090.6080.5530.4980.480
KiribatiMedium0.6280.6270.6290.6360.5840.547
MicronesiaMedium0.6340.6340.6360.6400.6440.637
NauruMedium0.6960.6930.6890.6800.559
TuvaluMedium0.6530.6530.6550.6540.6230.5990.564
PakistanLow0.5400.5370.5360.5370.4960.4340.394
NigeriaLow0.5480.5420.5390.5370.488
EthiopiaLow0.4920.4890.4890.4850.4090.286
DR CongoLow0.4810.4750.4770.4760.4240.3760.377
TanzaniaLow0.5320.5290.5350.5330.4930.3960.366
SudanLow0.5160.5160.5180.5210.4890.4200.322
AfghanistanLow0.4620.4730.4880.4920.4490.3400.284
YemenLow0.4240.4250.4300.4300.4960.4340.357
MozambiqueLow0.4610.4590.4670.4650.4070.3030.239
MadagascarLow0.4870.4840.4860.4980.4880.438
Ivory CoastLow0.5340.5300.5300.5290.4700.4540.425
NigerLow0.3940.3890.3910.3900.3360.2600.212
MaliLow0.4100.4080.4070.4210.4060.3150.236
Burkina FasoLow0.4380.4450.4460.4460.3720.296
MalawiLow0.5080.5090.5120.5140.4610.3780.299
ChadLow0.3940.3930.3960.3980.3640.292
SomaliaLow0.380
SenegalLow0.5170.5120.5140.5140.4700.3880.371
GuineaLow0.4710.4670.4710.4700.4150.3450.270
BeninLow0.5040.5020.5010.5060.4810.4120.350
RwandaLow0.5480.5390.5350.5310.4850.328
BurundiLow0.4200.4190.4190.4230.4040.2980.285
South SudanLow0.3810.3810.3860.3910.406
TogoLow0.5470.5450.5400.5360.4690.4360.399
Sierra LeoneLow0.4580.4560.4530.4570.4160.3190.314
LiberiaLow0.4870.4840.4830.4850.4600.434
Central African RepublicLow0.3870.3870.3890.3910.3570.3190.333
MauritaniaLow0.5400.5380.5390.5520.5080.4610.397
EritreaLow0.4930.4900.4900.4870.458
GambiaLow0.4950.4900.4920.4920.4490.3920.323
LesothoLow0.5210.5220.5300.5280.4700.4560.479
Guinea BissauLow0.4830.4820.4820.4880.441
DjiboutiLow0.5150.5120.5120.5080.4220.330
ChinaHigh0.7880.7850.7810.7750.6980.5860.482
IndonesiaHigh0.7130.7070.7120.7180.6670.5970.526
BrazilHigh0.7600.7560.7580.7640.7220.6680.620
MexicoHigh0.7810.7570.7570.7810.7470.7090.666
EgyptHigh0.7280.7260.7290.7240.6670.6290.567
PhilippinesHigh0.7100.6920.7050.7140.6730.6350.598
VietnamHigh0.7260.7180.7260.7170.6760.5990.492
IranHigh0.7800.7760.7790.7850.7560.6920.613
South AfricaHigh0.7170.7210.7220.7410.6750.6330.635
ColombiaHigh0.7580.7520.7560.7680.7320.6720.614
AlgeriaHigh0.7450.7400.7300.7420.7210.6520.593
UkraineHigh0.7340.7550.7620.7740.7660.6980.731
UzbekistanHigh0.7270.7210.7160.7250.6750.603
PeruHigh0.7620.7550.7580.7740.7250.6750.620
Sri LankaHigh0.7800.7830.7770.7750.7350.6890.641
EcuadorHigh0.7650.7460.7340.7580.7360.6840.645
TunisiaHigh0.7320.7290.7340.7400.7130.6510.566
JordanHigh0.7360.7360.7400.7440.7270.6810.622
Dominican RepublicHigh0.7660.7560.7600.7650.7070.6460.579
CubaHigh0.7640.7420.7590.7660.7790.6940.684
AzerbaijanHigh0.7600.7380.7220.7620.7330.635
TurkmenistanHigh0.7440.7400.7310.7320.699
LibyaHigh0.7460.7460.7370.7560.7740.7460.724
KyrgyzstanHigh0.7010.6960.6910.6990.6610.6170.637
ParaguayHigh0.7310.7300.7420.7460.7000.6560.604
BulgariaHigh0.7990.7960.8020.8130.7900.7230.698
LebanonHigh0.7230.7250.7420.7600.749
PalestineHigh0.7160.7150.7150.7390.688
MongoliaHigh0.7410.7300.7400.7490.7000.5950.579
Bosnia and HerzegovinaHigh0.7790.7760.7760.7800.7180.656
MoldovaHigh0.7630.7670.7650.7730.7160.6550.688
ArmeniaHigh0.7860.7740.7690.7890.7390.6560.658
JamaicaHigh0.7060.7040.7070.7120.7110.6570.664
AlbaniaHigh0.7890.7850.7840.8000.7660.6780.649
BotswanaHigh0.7080.6800.7010.7030.6520.5810.587
North MacedoniaHigh0.7650.7640.7660.7870.7460.676
MauritiusHigh0.7960.7900.7920.8060.7550.6820.620
FijiHigh0.7290.7150.7220.7300.6990.6690.630
GuyanaHigh0.7420.7210.7270.7110.6500.5700.496
MaldivesHigh0.7620.7530.7370.7530.6920.635
BelizeHigh0.7000.6980.7050.7180.7200.6570.609
SamoaHigh0.7020.7080.7120.7120.7040.672
Saint LuciaHigh0.7250.7170.7240.7330.7310.6920.666
GrenadaHigh0.7930.7880.7860.7900.779
TongaHigh0.7390.7380.7420.7400.7090.6790.640
Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesHigh0.7720.7730.7850.7890.7560.691
DominicaHigh0.7400.7370.7380.7450.7350.721
Marshall IslandsHigh0.7310.7290.7270.722
PalauHigh0.7970.8020.7940.7920.7750.747
Total0.7220.7230.7280.6910.6370.602

Which country has the highest HDI?

Switzerland has the highest Human Development Index with a rating of 0.967.

Which country has the lowest HDI?

Somalia has the lowest Human Development Index, earning a 0.380.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources