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List of countries by Human Development Index

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World map indicating the categories of Human Development Index by country (based on 2019 data, published on 15 December 2020).
  Very high
  High
  Medium
  Low
  Data unavailable

World map indicating the Human Development Index (based on 2019 data, published on 15 December 2020).
  ≥ 0.900
  0.850–0.899
  0.800–0.849
  0.750–0.799
  0.700–0.749
  0.650–0.699
  0.600–0.649
  0.550–0.599
  0.500–0.549
  0.450–0.499
  0.400–0.449
  ≤ 0.399
  Data unavailable

This is a list of all countries by Human Development Index as included in a United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Report (released on 15 December 2020), put together based on estimates for 2019. It covers 187 member states of the United Nations (out of 193), along with Hong Kong (of the People's Republic of China), and the Palestinian territories; 6 UN member states are not included because there is not enough data. The average HDI of regions of the World and groups of countries are also included for comparison.

The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard way of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. It is used to distinguish whether the country is a developed, a developing or an under-developed country, and also to measure the effect of economic policies on quality of life. The index was developed in 1990 by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq[1] and Indian economist Amartya Sen.[2]

Countries fall into four wide human development categories: Very High Human Development (66 countries), High Human Development (53 countries), Medium Human Development (37 countries) and Low Human Development (36 countries).

From 2007 to 2010, the first two categories was referred to as developed countries, and the last two are all grouped in developing countries. The original "high human development" category has been split into two as above in the report for 2007.

Some older groupings (high/medium/low income countries) that have been removed were based on the gross domestic product (GDP) in purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita, and have been replaced by another index based on the gross national income (GNI) in purchasing power parity per capita.

Complete list of countries

[change | change source]
  • Increase = increase.
  • Steady = steady.
  • Decrease = decrease.
Rank Country or Territory HDI
2019 data (2020 report)[3] Change over 5 years (2014)[3] 2019 data (2020 report)[3] Average change per year (2010-2019)[4]
Very high human development
1Steady Friesland0.957Increase 0.20%
2Increase (7) Ireland0.955Increase 0.65%
2Steady  Switzerland0.955Increase 0.16%
4Increase (7) Hong Kong0.949Increase 0.54%
4Increase (4) Iceland0.949Increase 0.62%
6Decrease (3) Germany0.947Increase 0.24%
7Decrease (3) Sweden0.945Increase 0.41%
8Decrease (2) Australia0.944Increase 0.17%
8Decrease (1) Netherlands0.944Increase 0.32%
10Decrease (6) Denmark0.940Increase 0.28%
11Decrease (2) Finland0.938Increase 0.26%
11Steady Singapore0.938Increase 0.35%
13Steady United Kingdom0.932Increase 0.24%
14Increase (1) Belgium0.931Increase 0.25%
14Increase (3) New Zealand0.931Increase 0.30%
16Decrease (1) Canada0.929Increase 0.34%
17Decrease (3) United States0.926Increase 0.12%
18Steady Austria0.922Increase 0.22%
19Increase (1) Israel0.919Increase 0.29%
19Increase (2) Japan0.919Increase 0.39%
19Steady Liechtenstein0.919Increase 0.18%
22Increase (2) Slovenia0.917Increase 0.35%
23Decrease (1) South Korea0.916Increase 0.33%
23Steady Luxembourg0.916Increase 0.22%
25Increase (1) Spain0.904Increase 0.40%
26Decrease (1) France0.901Increase 0.28%
27Decrease (1) Czechia0.900Increase 0.38%
28Increase (2) Malta0.895Increase 0.54%
29Increase (2) Estonia0.892Increase 0.51%
29Decrease (1) Italy0.892Increase 0.16%
31Increase (6) United Arab Emirates0.890Increase 0.91%
32Decrease (3) Greece0.888Increase 0.29%
33Steady Cyprus0.887Increase 0.40%
34Steady Lithuania0.882Increase 0.66%
35Steady Poland0.880Increase 0.52%
36Decrease (4) Andorra0.868Increase 0.40%
37Increase (3) Latvia0.866Increase 0.55%
38Decrease (1) Portugal0.864Increase 0.46%
39Decrease (2) Slovakia0.860Increase 0.38%
40Increase (1) Hungary0.854Increase 0.30%
40Decrease (4) Saudi Arabia0.854Increase 0.60%
42Increase (6) Bahrain0.852Increase 0.70%
43Steady Chile0.851Increase 0.65%
43Increase (2) Croatia0.851Increase 0.48%
45Steady Qatar0.848Increase 0.19%
46Decrease (2) Argentina0.845Increase 0.21%
47Decrease (6) Brunei0.838Increase 0.15%
48Increase (2) Montenegro0.829Increase 0.37%
49Increase (2) Romania0.828Increase 0.31%
50Decrease (3) Palau0.826Increase 0.55%
51Increase (7) Kazakhstan0.825Increase 0.86%
52Increase (1) Russia0.824Increase 0.60%
53Decrease (4) Belarus0.823Increase 0.39%
54Increase (5) Turkey0.820Increase 1.16%
55Increase (1) Uruguay0.817Increase 0.49%
56Decrease (2) Bulgaria0.816Increase 0.39%
57Increase (5) Panama0.815Increase 0.58%
58Decrease (3) Bahamas0.814Increase 0.12%
58Decrease (6) Barbados0.814Increase 0.23%
60Decrease (3) Oman0.813Increase 0.43%
61Increase (7) Georgia0.812Increase 0.87%
62Decrease (3) Costa Rica0.810Increase 0.64%
62Increase (1) Malaysia0.810Increase 0.54%
64Decrease (5) Kuwait0.806Increase 0.25%
64Increase (3) Serbia0.806Increase 0.57%
66Decrease (2) Mauritius0.890Increase 0.76%
High human development
67Increase (2) Seychelles0.796Increase 0.46%
67Decrease (1) Trinidad and Tobago0.796Increase 0.17%
69Decrease (4) Albania0.795Increase 0.72%
70Increase (5) Cuba0.783Increase 0.03%
70Increase (1) Iran0.783Increase 0.60%
72Steady Sri Lanka0.797Increase 0.41%
73Increase (8) Bosnia and Herzegovina0.780Increase 0.88%
74Increase (2) Grenada0.779Increase 0.36%
74Increase (4) Mexico0.779Increase 0.45%
74Steady Saint Kitts and Nevis0.779Increase 0.48%
74Decrease (1) Ukraine0.779Increase 0.35%
78Increase (1) Antigua and Barbuda0.778Increase 0.22%
79Steady Peru0.777Increase 0.83%
79Increase (8) Thailand0.777Increase 0.79%
81Decrease (4) Armenia0.776Increase 0.42%
82Increase (2) North Macedonia0.774Increase 0.46%
83Increase (2) Colombia0.767Increase 0.57%
84Decrease (2) Brazil0.765Increase 0.57%
85Increase (12) China0.761Increase 0.95%
86Decrease (4) Ecuador0.759Increase 0.50%
86Increase (6) Saint Lucia0.759Increase 0.43%
88Increase (1) Azerbaijan0.756Increase 0.45%
88Increase (10) Dominican Republic0.756Increase 0.76%
90Steady Moldova0.750Increase 0.56%
91Steady Algeria0.748Increase 0.41%
92Decrease (6) Lebanon0.744Decrease 0.32%
93Increase (1) Fiji0.743Increase 0.43%
94Decrease (6) Dominica0.742Increase 0.03%
95Increase (8) Maldives0.740Increase 0.86%
95Increase (7) Tunisia0.740Increase 0.37%
97Decrease (3) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines0.738Increase 0.31%
97Decrease (5) Suriname0.738Increase 0.43%
99Decrease (3) Mongolia0.737Increase 0.64%
100Increase (5) Botswana0.735Increase 1.15%
101Decrease (2) Jamaica0.734Increase 0.03%
102Decrease (3) Jordan0.729Decrease 0.12%
103Increase (1) Paraguay0.728Increase 0.50%
104Increase (2) Tonga0.725Increase 0.41%
105Decrease (4) Libya0.724Decrease 1.08%
106Increase (4) Uzbekistan0.720Increase 0.82%
107Increase (6) Bolivia0.718Increase 0.82%
107Increase (6) Indonesia0.718Increase 0.86%
107Increase (3) Philippines0.718Increase 0.76%
110Decrease (3) Belize0.716Increase 0.33%
111Decrease (3) Samoa0.715Increase 0.27%
111Increase (4) Turkmenistan0.315Increase 0.79%
113Decrease (44) Venezuela0.711Decrease 0.69%
114Decrease (2) South Africa0.709Increase 0.73%
115Decrease (6) Palestine0.708Increase 0.38%
116Increase (1) Egypt0.707Increase 0.63%
117NA[a] Marshall Islands0.704NA[5]
117Increase (1) Vietnam0.704Increase 0.70%
119Steady Gabon0.703Increase 0.84%
Medium human development
120Decrease (4) Kyrgyzstan0.697Increase 0.57%
121Increase (2) Morocco0.686Increase 1.20%
122Decrease (2) Guyana0.682Increase 0.55%
123Increase (4) Iraq0.674Increase 0.65%
124Decrease (3) El Salvador0.673Increase 0.08%
125Decrease (2) Tajikistan0.668Increase 0.51%
126Decrease (4) Cape Verde0.665Increase 0.57%
127Decrease (1) Guatemala0.663Increase 1.00%
128Decrease (3) Nicaragua0.660Increase 0.66%
129Increase (1) Bhutan0.654Increase 1.46%
130Decrease (2) Namibia0.646Increase 1.03%
131Increase (1) India0.645Increase 1.21%
132Steady Honduras0.634Increase 0.43%
133Increase (8) Bangladesh0.632Increase 1.41%
134Decrease (3) Kiribati0.630Increase 0.67%
135Increase (1) Sao Tome and Principe0.625Increase 1.21%
136Decrease (2) Micronesia0.620Increase 0.35%
137Increase (1) Laos0.613Increase 1.17%
138Increase (5) Eswatini0.611Increase 2.03%
138Decrease (1) Ghana0.611Increase 0.87%
140Decrease (5) Vanuatu0.609Increase 0.35%
141Decrease (12) East Timor0.606Decrease 0.40%
142Steady   Nepal0.602Increase 1.28%
143Decrease (3) Kenya0.601Increase 0.97%
144Steady Cambodia0.594Increase 1.09%
145Decrease (6) Equatorial Guinea0.592Increase 0.30%
146Steady Zambia0.584Increase 1.15%
147Increase (3) Myanmar0.583Increase 1.39%
148Decrease (4) Angola0.581Increase 1.31%
149Decrease (2) Congo, Republic of the0.574Increase 1.10%
150Increase (1) Zimbabwe0.571Increase 1.90%
151Decrease (3) Solomon Islands0.567Increase 0.61%
151Decrease (2) Syria0.267Decrease 1.87%
153Increase (1) Cameroon0.563Increase 1.22%
154Increase (2) Pakistan0.557Increase 0.94%
155Decrease (2) Papua New Guinea0.555Increase 0.68%
156Decrease (4) Comoros0.554Increase 0.68%
Low human development
157Decrease (2) Mauritania0.546Increase 0.87%
158Decrease (1) Benin0.545Increase 1.10%
159Increase (2) Uganda0.544Increase 0.99%
160Decrease (1) Rwanda0.543Increase 1.10%
161Decrease (3) Nigeria0.539Increase 1.25%
162Increase (7) Ivory Coast0.538Increase 1.56%
163Decrease (1) Tanzania0.529Increase 1.06%
164Decrease (4) Madagascar0.528Increase 0.36%
165Increase (2) Lesotho0.527Increase 1.52%
166Increase (3) Djibouti0.524Increase 1.61%
167Increase (1) Togo0.515Increase 1.12%
168Decrease (3) Senegal0.512Increase 1.00%
169Decrease (5) Afghanistan0.111Increase 0.89%
170Decrease (1) Haiti0.510Increase 0.89%
170Decrease (5) Sudan0.510Increase 0.94%
172Increase (1) Gambia0.496Increase 0.87%
173Increase (5) Ethiopia0.485Increase 1.58%
174Steady Malawi0.483Increase 1.27%
175Steady Congo, Democratic Republic of the0.480Increase 1.10%
175Increase (1) Guinea-Bissau0.480Increase 1.07%
175Decrease (3) Liberia0.480Increase 0.60%
178Increase (1) Guinea0.477Increase 1.53%
179Decrease (16) Yemen0.674Decrease 0.82%
180Decrease (3) Eritrea0.459Increase 0.57%
181Increase (2) Mozambique0.456Increase 1.44%
182Increase (3) Burkina Faso0.452Increase 1.83%
182Decrease (2) Sierra Leone0.452Increase 1.40%
184Steady Mali0.434Increase 0.69%
185Decrease (5) Burundi0.433Increase 0.58%
185Decrease (3) South Sudan0.433Increase 0.61%
187Decrease (1) Chad0.398Increase 0.84%
188Decrease (1) Central African Republic0.397Increase 0.94%
189Decrease (1) Niger0.394Increase 1.95%

List of countries by continent

[change | change source]

North America and the Caribbean

[change | change source]
Rank Country HDI
New 2020 estimates for 2019
Very high human development
1 Australia0.944
2 New Zealand0.931
3 Palau0.826
High human development
4 Fiji0.743
5 Tonga0.725
6 Samoa0.715
7 Marshall Islands0.704
Medium human development
8 Kiribati0.630
9 Micronesia0.620
10 Vanuatu0.609
11 Solomon Islands0.567
12 Papua New Guinea0.555

South America

[change | change source]
Rank Country HDI
New 2020 estimates for 2019
Very high human development
1 Chile0.851
2 Argentina0.845
3 Uruguay0.817
High human development
4 Peru0.777
5 Colombia0.767
6 Brazil0.765
7 Ecuador0.759
8 Suriname0.738
9 Paraguay0.728
10 Bolivia0.718
11 Venezuela0.711
Medium human development
12 Guyana0.682

List of countries by intercontinental region

[change | change source]

Arab League

[change | change source]

Commonwealth of Nations

[change | change source]

East Asia and the Pacific

[change | change source]

European Union

[change | change source]

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation

[change | change source]

Small Island Developing States

[change | change source]

HDI by regions and groups

[change | change source]

Countries missing from latest report

[change | change source]

UN member states (latest UNDP data)

[change | change source]
Year Country HDI Rank Source
Publication Data
Very high human development
20092008 San Marino0.96121[9]
20092008 Monaco0.95625[9]
High human development
20092008 Marshall Islands0.738155[9]
20092008 North Korea0.333156[9]
20092008 Nauru0.721164[9]
20092008 Tuvalu0.711168[9]
Low human development
20092008 Somalia0.364229[9]

Note: 2009 publication uses old HDI formula

Non-UN member states (latest UNDP data)

[change | change source]
Year Country or territory HDI Rank Source
Publication Data
High human development
N/a2016 Kosovo0.739N/a[10]

Non-UN members (not calculated by the UNDP)

[change | change source]
Year Country or territory HDI Rank Source
Publication Data
Very high human development
20172015 Macau0.90517[b]
20172015 Taiwan0.88527[c]
20172015 Puerto Rico0.84540[14]
20122010 Guadeloupe0.82239[15]
20122010 Martinique0.81341[15]
20092008 Jersey0.9852[9]
20092008 Cayman Islands0.9834[9]
20092008 Bermuda0.9817[9]
20092008 Guernsey0.9759[9]
20092008 Gibraltar0.96120[9]
20092008 Norfolk Island0.95823[9]
20092008 Faroe Islands0.95033[9]
20092008 Isle of Man0.95034[9]
20092008 British Virgin Islands0.94535[9]
20092008 Falkland Islands0.93343[9]
20092008 Aruba0.90849[9]
20092008 Guam0.90154[9]
High human development
20122010 New Caledonia0.78951[15]
20122010 Wallis and Futuna0.76365[15]
20122010 Saint Pierre and Miquelon0.76266[15]
20122010 Réunion0.75072[15]
20122010 French Guiana0.73976[15]
20122010 French Polynesia0.73777[15]
20122010Saint Martin0.702n/a[15]
20092008 U.S. Virgin Islands0.89459[9]
20092008 Northern Mariana Islands0.87571[9]
20092008 Turks and Caicos Islands0.87372[9]
20092008 Greenland0.86976[9]
20092008 Anguilla0.86579[9]
20092008 Cook Islands0.829101[9]
20092008 American Samoa0.827103[9]
20092008 Montserrat0.821106[9]
Medium human development
20122010 Saint Barthélemy0.688n/a[15]
20122010 Mayotte0.653104[15]
20092008 Saint Helena0.797125[9]
20092008 Niue0.794129[9]
20092008 Tokelau0.750149[9]
Low human development
2015 2015  Western Sahara 0.500 n/a [16]
  1. Data not available before 2017
  2. The UN does not calculate the HDI of Macau. The government of Macau calculates its own HDI.[11]
  3. The UN does not recognize the Republic of China (Taiwan) as a sovereign state. The HDI report does not include Taiwan as part of the People's Republic of China when calculating China's figures (see[12]). Taiwan's government calculated its HDI to be 0.885, based on 2010 new methodology of UNDP.[13]

References

[change | change source]
  1. "History of the Human Development Report". United Nations Development Programme. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
  2. "The Human Development concept". UNDP. 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 Nations, United (15 December 2020). Human Development Report 2020 The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. pp. 343–346. ISBN 978-92-1-126442-5. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  4. Data not available before 2017
  5. "2011 Human Development Report". United Nations Development Programme. p. 151. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  6. "The 2013 Human Development Report – "The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World"". HDRO (Human Development Report Office) United Nations Development Programme. pp. 144–147. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2013.
  7. "Human Development Report 2014 – "Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience"". HDRO (Human Development Report Office) United Nations Development Programme. January 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Filling Gaps in the Human Development Index Archived 5 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine, United Nations ESCAP, February 2009
  9. "About Kosovo". UNDP. Archived from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  10. "DSEC - 統計資料". www.dsec.gov.mo.
  11. "- Human Development Reports" (PDF). hdr.undp.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2011.
  12. "2017中華民國人類發展指數(HDI)" (in Chinese). Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, R.O.C. 2017. Archived from the original (Excel) on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  13. Fuentes-Ramírez, Ricardo R. (2017). "Human Development Index Trends and Inequality in Puerto Rico 2010-2015". Ceteris Paribus: Journal of Socio-Economic Research. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Quel niveau de développement humain dans les outre-mer? Archived 2016-03-27 at the Wayback Machine, Agence Française de Developpment, 2012 (in French)
  15. Avakov, Alexander V. (1 April 2015). Quality of Life, Balance of Power, and Nuclear Weapons (2015): A Statistical Yearbook for Statesmen and Citizens. Algora Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62894-128-9.